Not all homes are safe to be in.
There are upwards of 40 million people currently forced into slavery, bonded labor, and sex trafficking around the world.
Of those, half of the victims are exploited and abused in their own homes- by family members.
Liana is a teenage girl in the Dominican Republic who was being raised by her grandparents. When she was 14, Liana wanted to reach out to her mother and develop a relationship. When Liana arrived for a summer visit, her mother enslaved her and forced Liana into prostitution.
The home became a prison.
Liana's step-father was her pimp and rapist. He trafficked her personally in his truck all around the country, selling her to men for a night. Liana was trapped. He even kidnapped her and forced her to be his child bride.
Nina is an American girl whose whole life has been one of sexual exploitation by her mother and uncle.
When she was little, her mother exploited Nina by taking pornographic photos of her daughter participating in sexual acts and sold them online. The uncle soon joined in on this disgusting venture.
She was groomed and raised as a victim of child pornography and prostitution. Nina never knew safety before escaping her family at the age of 15.
The stories of Liana and Nina are just 2 of at least 20 million stories of victims being exploited by family.
According to the United Nations analysis of The Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative (CTDC) data, half of all victims of trafficking and slavery were brought into the trade through their close family members or romantic partners.
The 2017 statistics of rescued survivors in the United States, provided by Polaris, support the UN’s findings as well.
You can help the victims and survivors like Liana and Nina by giving to The Dressember Foundation.
The Dressember Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending modern slavery and human trafficking. The money raised goes towards providing grants to organizations directly interacting with the victims through providing rescue and rehabilitation.
Please consider giving a monetary gift, such as $20, to the Dressember Foundation.$20 is enough to provide one survivor with an aftercare kit to aid in her transition into Freedom.
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