The Crack in Our Liberty
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There is no irony in the fact the Liberty Bell cracked on its first ring. Because there are deep cracks in our Westernized notion of freedom and justice.
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7 Ways Everyday People Can Help End Slavery
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We need committed frontline workers (particularly those who practice boundaries), but this work cannot be left to non-profits alone.
Read MoreShould I Volunteer with an Anti-Trafficking Program?
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Unfortunately, the capacity to care doesn’t translate to an ability to navigate the complexity of anti-trafficking work. This is especially the case when working directly with survivors emerging from exploitation. Yet, this is often the focal point for would-be volunteers. They want to meet survivors and hear their stories, lavish victims with gifts, walk through Red Light Districts, or participate in rescue operations.
Read MoreWho Gets to be an Anti-Trafficking Activist?
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Our limited definition of activism is problematic. It keeps some people out of engaging in important work because they don’t feel qualified enough—while keeping others imprisoned by it, demanding perfection and martyrdom of themselves and veering dangerously toward burnout and compassion fatigue.
Is there a place for celebrities and stay-at-home parents and business leaders and amateurs in the justice movement?
Read MoreA Generation that Cares
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About 7,500 km fill the distance between Vancouver, BC and St. John’s, Newfoundland. Four friends from Alberta traveled that distance last summer … by bike. And it wasn’t for fame or glory, or a lost bet, but to raise awareness and funds for human trafficking interventions in Canada through Defend Dignity.
Read MoreHow Effective are Awareness Campaigns in the Fight against Human Trafficking?
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Compassion can be hard—and maybe that’s why we detach ourselves in the first place. I wonder if we limit ourselves to single-day awareness campaigns because it’s as much as we can handle. People who are learning about human trafficking for the first time are heartbroken and often can’t spare too much energy on it. Even veteran service providers are susceptible to compassion fatigue and burnout.
How do we approach these kinds of tough issues more sustainably, instead of expending all our energy at once?
Read MoreThere's More to Social Justice than Awareness
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It seems that when it comes to justice, we often contort it to fit our own agenda. We define its dimensions according to our level of commitment to it. We speak of it to flatter ourselves, inserting “justice issues” casually but strategically into conversations—as if it gives us more buoyancy in the human struggle for worthiness. We sensationalize justice, without unpacking what it really means or looks like.
Read MoreThe Deeper Problems Behind Human Trafficking
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Ultimately, the problem isn’t human trafficking—the problem is brokenness. As finite and flawed humans, we’re broken in just about every way. And it’s because of the brokenness in ourselves and our communities that exploitation can thrive.
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