End Crowd is very proud of our partners. We believe in them. We are thankful for them. They are heroes in the Movement against human trafficking! In this article, we will share three of them with you…
About…Love146 is working to see the end of child trafficking and exploitation. Nothing less. The organization cares for survivors around the globe, with love serving as the foundation for their work. Check them out at www.love146.org.
Boys are often ignored as victims of human trafficking, but Love146 works to change this. The organization runs a safe house in the Philippines that provides holistic therapy, basic healthcare, and meals for boys that have been trafficked.
How it all started, taken from Love146 website.
“We found ourselves standing shoulder to shoulder with predators in a small room, looking at little girls through a pane of glass. All of the girls wore red dresses with a number pinned to their dress for identification.
They sat, blankly watching cartoons on TV. They were vacant, shells of what a child should be. There was no light in their eyes, no life left. Their light had been taken from them. These children…raped each night… seven, ten, fifteen times every night. They were so young. Thirteen, eleven… it was hard to tell. Sorrow covered their faces with nothingness.
Except one girl. One girl who wouldn’t watch the cartoons. Her number was 146. She was looking beyond the glass. She was staring out at us with a piercing gaze. There was still fight left in her eyes. There was still life left in this girl. Her name became a number. Her number became our name.
About…The SOLD Project prevents child exploitation through education by providing scholarships and resources to children at risk. We believe that prevention consists of a holistic approach and includes educational opportunities, mentorship, resources and awareness. Check them out at thesoldproject.com.
The Chiang Rai Resource Center in Thailand is a program focused on preventing child exploitation in a village that has a long history of being a source destination for human trafficking and sexual exploitation. The education levels are shockingly low. Nearly 50% of students drop out of school before grade 9, leaving them uneducated and vulnerable to traffickers. The program offers mentoring to students that empowers and educates. It has proven remarkably successful with less than 8% of students in the program dropping out of school.
About…GEMS works to empower girls and young women who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking in the U.S. The organization is focused on helping these women reach their full potential while helping them grow beyond their past. GEMS is committed to bringing about change not only for the individual, but for American society, as a whole. Check them out at gems-girls.org.
GEMS runs an Educational Initiative Program that started in 2007 and currently has 98 young women enrolled in some sort of educational program in New York. Thirty of them are actually enrolled in college. This past spring, the program celebrated 8 college graduations.
To read more about these three organizations, visit their three respective websites. Watch for another article about more of our partners.
Freedom United is interested in hearing from our community and welcomes relevant, informed comments, advice, and insights that advance the conversation around our campaigns and advocacy. We value inclusivity and respect within our community. To be approved, your comments should be civil.
A few things we do not tolerate: comments that promote discrimination, prejudice, racism, or xenophobia, as well as personal attacks or profanity. We screen submissions in order to create a space where the entire Freedom United community feels safe to express and exchange thoughtful opinions.