It’s the end of January and I can’t let the month pass by without writing about UNICEF’s End Trafficking Project. The month of January happens to be Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
Here are some facts about human trafficking:
- 5.5 Million children all over the world are victims of forced labor and child trafficking. (Sadly, that includes children here from the Philippines.)
- This is an illegal enterprise that generates an estimated $32 billion in yearly profits.
- These trafficked children have been bought and sold, forced into prostitution, or made to work at grueling, dangerous jobs with little or no pay.
- Human trafficking cases have been reported in every state in the United States. Rates are particularly high in California, Texas, Florida, and New York.
I have personally read or heard of stories about people’s children being kidnapped and sold to crime syndicates. My heart bleeds for these children whose childhood are being stolen. Instead of living safe, happy, healthy lives, they are suffering. That is precisely why UNICEF launched the End Trafficking Project. They aim to raise awareness about trafficking and mobilize communities to do what they can to protect children.
UNICEF’s newest Ambassador, Angie Harmon, is lending her support for the fight against child trafficking during Human Trafficking Awareness Month. She is appearing in Public Service Announcements to raise awareness about the issue of child trafficking, an inhumane and exploitative practice, and urge Americans to help end it. Watch her in this public service announcement.
Hopefully, the day will soon come that there will be zero trafficked children. To learn more about how you can help end trafficking, visit http://www.unicefusa.org/campaigns/end-trafficking/. You can also get updates via Twitter @EndTraffick and @UNICEFUSA #Endtrafficking or visit http://www.facebook.com/UNICEF-USA.
