You may remember a time, centuries ago, when slavery was normal. What if I told you slavery was still happening today, and in fact there are more people enslaved today than ever before. As of January 1, 2022, the International Justice Mission reports that more than 50 million people are trapped in modern day slavery. This number is growing by at least one million people per year, showing the prevalence of modern day slavery around the world and the urgency needed to address this issue. How can this be possible, though, if slavery is illegal everywhere? It’s simple. Fifty million are trapped in slavery because there is no one protecting them. Four billion people around the world are unprotected by their justice systems, leaving them susceptible to slavery, sex trafficking, sexual violence, and more. These innocent people need our help, and there’s a nonprofit working to end slavery- all through wearing a dress.
Dressember is a nonprofit organization that has created a movement to end modern day slavery. Started in 2009, the founder Blythe Hill began a style challenge to wear a dress every day in December. The idea took off, and Blythe realized she could make a difference with this concept. So, Dressember became a movement to fundraise for change, with 1,233 participants in the first year. Dressember was able to partner with IJM, an international organization focused on human rights and law enforcement, to raise over $165,000. Every year since then, more people have joined in until Blythe’s one-person challenge blossomed into an international movement to fight human trafficking. By 2013, Dressember became an official nonprofit, and now they’ve raised millions to support victims and survivors around the world.
You might be thinking, how does this affect me? Surely those affected by slavery are across the globe or in some remote village. And you’d be partially right in your thought process. Yes, one percentage of modern day slavery are those being worked to death everyday for no pay on the other side of the world. But, there are also millions of women and children being kidnapped and sold into sex slavery, right here in America. Trafficking primarily involves exploitation which comes in many forms, including: forcing victims into prostitution, subjecting victims to slavery or involuntary servitude and compelling victims to commit sext acts for the purpose of creating pornography. There are, roughly, 20 to 30 million sex trafficking slaves, though that number increases every single day. Sex traffickers are finding it easier than ever to get away with this crime because the newest form of exploitation is cybersex trafficking. The details are horrifying, but they are real, and they are happening now.
Dressember not only provides a fundraising platform to stop modern day slavery, but also raises awareness about the severity of this issue in modern day. This will be my fifth year participating in the Dressember movement by pledging to wear a dress everyday in December, and I can tell you from personal experience it makes an impact. Especially being in Pittsburgh this winter, I know wearing a dress in December is going to turn heads. But, every time someone asks me if I’m crazy for wearing a dress in freezing weather, I get to share an important message with them.
For some, or most, wearing a dress for thirty-one days can be daunting. It may even seem impossible! But, as someone who has done this for four years, I promise you too can take on this challenge and make a difference. All it requires is a little creativity, and a warm pair of tights, to join the movement and help end modern day slavery. Ready to help make a difference this winter? Learn more at dressember.org.
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