Make It Harder for Pimps to Sell Girls

FAIR Girls works to prevent exploitation through education and empowerment.

But they don't only work to prevent trafficking, they also work to rescue and care for girls who have been trafficked.  Specifically they provide:

• Emergency response for trafficking victims

• Compassionate care for victims including trauma assessment, crisis intervention, clothing and toiletries, and long-term counseling

• Group Empowerment Workshops for girls who have been impacted by trafficking

• Education in public high schools and for orphans exiting orphanages in Bosnia, Serbia, and Russia

• Training for professionals working with girls who are at-risk for trafficking

If you read this post, One Thing You Can Do TODAY To Fight Human Trafficking, you are aware that Backpage.com serves as a portal for human trafficking.  Well, FAIR Girls has taken up this campaign.  Here's what Andrea Powell, Co-Founder and Executive Director of FAIR Girls says:

The number of girls we serve in just our U.S. program has more than doubled, and almost every single one of those girls was advertised by her pimp on Backpage.com.   Shutting down the adult section of Backpage.com won't end the sex trafficking of girls in America, but it will restrict a vastly growing online market.  We believe it will make it harder for pimps to sell girls, which means fewer girls will be exploited.  Andrea Powell, Co-founder and Executive Director of FAIR Girls

FAIR Girls is sponsoring an ad that will debut this Sunday on ABC's This Week With George Stephanoupoulos.  The video tells the story of a 13-year old girl who was repeatedly advertised by her pimp on Backpage.com.  This ad urges the public to join the campaign demanding Village Voice Media shut down the adult section of Backpage.com by doing the following:

• Watch this video.

• Sign this petition.

• Contact 26 major advertisers in Village Voice's flagship publications asking them to immediately discontinue advertising with Village Voice until the adult section of Backpage.com is shut down.

• Share this campaign through FB, Twitter, on your blog, and in every circle of influence that is yours.  

Join me and Andrea Powell in making it harder for pimps to sell girls.

Is human trafficking an issue that you care about?  My interest in human trafficking began as we pursued the adoption of our daughter, Katya.  Katya was born in Ukraine.  We met her at the airport on June 19, 2008.  

She was with us for four amazing, but quite honestly, challenging weeks.  That November we began the adoption process.  During that year we learned about the connection between Eastern European orphanages and the trafficking industry.  Katya is home, safe-and-sound, but many girls are not.  My heart literally aches for the thousands of girls who will become prey for traffickers, both overseas and within our borders.  This is why I care about the human trafficking issue.  What about you?