Monday, October 31, 2011

The End, Or How I Survived a Month in The Dress

It's October 31. The end of the month.

First off, I want to thank everyone who followed me this month! Knowing I had so many supporters was a source of great encouragement. I also want to thank the girls that have been on this journey with me- Emily A, Emily Fish, and Sarah! I couldn't have done this without you guys.

Emily A, Emily Fish, Sarah, and me: all in our dresses
This month has been an interesting experience, to say the least. It occured to me last night that I should have counted the number of times someone asked me if I could wash the dress. It's probably be in the hundreds by now. For those still unsure- Yes, I could wash it. I hand washed it every night and then with the rest of my laundry once every week and a half. And fabreze- which is an amazing thing...

I thought this would be an easy project at the beginning. After all, I had worn the same uniform every day for two years at CSG. But, something about this was wayyy different. I think it was the idea that not everyone around me wore the same thing. I stood out because of my dress, the complete opposite of the way I blended in at CSG. I also don't have a very flexible wardrobe, so I ended up wearing the exact same thing every day, unlike the Emilys who found a way to mix it up every day.

It was also a lesson in patience and determination. I won't go too much into this, because I've posted about it before. But, needless to say, it was quite a learning experience. It's interesting because I can't wait for tomorrow when I'll get up and throw on jeans and a t-shirt, whereas Emily Fish is kind of sad it's the end of the month and wants to continue the project. We'll find out tomorrow if she does.

Regardless of how much I hated the dress, I do plan on doing this project again- most likely in the spring when it won't be as cold. That was probably the worst thing- the cold. Next time, I would really like to figure out a way to get more people involved. I had a link on this blog about how other people could help (by donating personal items to one of the shelters in Columbus or Toledo), but I didn't make a big deal about it. I think it would be even better, though, if people could get involved in another way. I'll have to think on how.

I hope that through this project I have impacted at least one person. My goal was to spread the word about the victims of human sex trafficking in Ohio, teaching that this problem is not isolated to third world countries. I hope I did that. Maybe even have sparked someone's passion for this fight.

The month may be over, but the fight has just begun. Since I began, hundreds of girls have been exploited around Ohio, some have escaped and sought help at one of the shelters around the state, others have just been kidnapped and place in the cycle.

The month might be over, my dress might be burned (ceremoniously, yay), but God still weeps for the children. I ask that you keep all the victims, the survivors, and those fighting to end this injustice in your prayers. Hold them close to your heart.

Thank you for following me in this journey, and I pray for your continued support.
God Bless!
~Hannah <3

And, a funny one!

Halloween Shenanigans

It is officially Halloween, October 31, the final day of my One Dress, One Month Project. To simply say I'm happy it's almost over would be an understatement. I'm thrillered (get it? "thriller" cause it's Halloween?? haha ;~)

Emily Fish, Addie, Kira, and I on Court Street

I met ABE LINCOLN in the lobby of my dorm!!

This past weekend was the world-famous Athens Halloween Block Party! I love going uptown and seeing everyone's costumes, then going and watching Halloween movies...Hocus Pocus for the finale! This year was particularly interesting because I had to somehow incorporate the dress into my costume. I shout-out for suggestions on facebook awarded me tons of ideas, none of which I used (no offense to those who suggested things. I do appreciate the effort). I decided to be a spidery wood nymph, mostly because I've become obsessed with drawing spider webs and really wanted to draw spider webs on my face. I tried to make some sweet wings out of sticks and fake cobwebs. They were really cool, until the sticks broke. Apparently, it has been too wet in Athens and the sticks I got from the back of my dorm were moldy. It was too late to figure something else out, so I painted my face, threw on my spider web tights, and called it a costume. It was cold, so I threw on my army jacket. I called it "Black Ops Widow." Black Ops because of the army jacket, and black widow because of the spider theme. Epic, right??

For your enjoyment, photos of my failed wings and my epic face paint...



Monday, October 24, 2011

Bullheaded Determination...in the name of Jesus

Well, we've reached Monday October 24. This means that I have exactly one week left in the dress. Yay!! We're in the home stretch now! I'm hopeful that it will be easy from here, because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, yet something tells me it will be harder. I'm scared that I'll try to talk myself into quitting early, claiming I've already done it thus far and am close enough to November that it doesn't matter anymore.

I tend to be a very rational person. I can rationalize anything. Yet, within my rationality is a dualistic tendency allowing me to argue successfully for multiple conflicting things at the same time. I can successfully convince myself that it's close enough to November to just quit, but at the same time be convincing myself it's so close to the end that I can make it... Such completely different results, yet both being rationalized in my head right now.

Stubbornness is a curse and a gift. It can exasperate people when I am extremely bullheaded. However, in a situation such as finishing out the month, my stubbornness and determination to finish will see me through. Call it a gift or a curse, it was sheer bullheadedness that made me put the dress on every morning, even though I was silently cursing it under my breath.

I don't want to seem completely shallow by those statements. It makes me sound like I'm only doing this for me. I'm not, and I hope it doesn't come off that way. As I wrote a couple of posts ago, this has become a practice in patience and perseverance. Learning to embrace the sheer determination to do something hard because I know it's what's right and what I'm meant to do. 

Because this is what I'm meant to do in order to bring attention to a fraction of God's Children who are being used and abused. Just as I have this contradictory nature, so does the pattern of victimization and persecution of those involved in sex trafficking. When able to escape their captors/pimps, many girls have no where to go and no way to survive. They turn to prostitution as a way to make money. They use the only skill they know, and were raised to exploit, as a means of survival. These same girls are then arrested and charged with prostitution. It's like we are, as a society, choosing to punish the victims of a corrupt system instead of helping them. Doesn't that seem contradictory? Punishing the victims??

That's why it's so important that we have shelters like The Daughter's Place in Toledo and Rahab's Hideaway in Columbus. These shelters give girls an escape from the cycle of victimization and prostitution that has unfortunately become a norm. Girls are able to not only heal from their experiences, but are taught new skills and given self confidence so that they can lead a normal life. It's an attempt to break these double-standards, and giving thousands of girls a new lease on life.

Double-standards exist in every aspect of society. I believe that God has given me this gift/curse of rationality and stubbornness in order to better understand the sheer contradictory nature of the world around me. I will face the dichotomy within myself with determination, just as so many people persevere through pain and abuse in order to find a better life.

So, I guess you could say that my I am being bullheaded and stubborn in the name of Jesus- persevering to help bring an end to the double standard of society and their treatment of victims of human trafficking.

Fish and I modeling our dresses

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Homecoming Weekend and Stormy Weather

Rain, Rain, Go Away
Come Again Another Day
Preferably One Where I'm Not Wearing A Dress...

It's a new nursery rhyme, and a new mantra for my life. It's cold and rainy in Athens right now. My dress is thin, and not exactly waterproof. Luckily, I only have 12 days left in the project, so hopefully I'll be able to return to normal clothes before it gets too cold.

I know it's been a while since I've posted. This past weekend was Homecoming. I spent Friday night at the Union for the Open Doors Drag Show, Saturday morning marching in the parade, Saturday afternoon sitting at a table in Baker, Saturday evening watching movies with my friends, Sunday afternoon performing in an F-Word Show, and Sunday evening catching up on all my homework. Whew!  Then, Monday and week 7 snuck up on me and Tuesday I started to get sick. Now, it's Wednesday afternoon, and my head feels like one of those giant heads in the old cold medicine commercials, my nose is runny, and I have no voice. Lovely.

Having to wear the dress in the homecoming parade challenged me to find a way to turn the plain brown dress into something that showed my pride. So, I bought rainbow tights. Epic, right! Did you think I meant school pride...?

One side of my awesome sign in the Homecoming Parade

The other side of my sign, and my fabulous rainbow tights!
Thought: You know it's rained a lot when you have to wade to classes. Now, back into the storm...

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Resentment, and God's Little Nudges

I'm finding this project to be more difficult than I thought it would be, but also so much more rewarding than I anticipated.  Getting up every morning and getting dressed, I find myself silently cursing the dress. I want to wear jeans or sweatpants, and not have to worry about a low cut neckline. I miss my t-shirts and hoodies. But, despite my silent angst towards to the dress, I am becoming more and more convinced everyday that this project is what I am meant to be doing right now.

I know I've talked about how wearing this dress is gaining more attention than protests or posters do because people are genuinely interested when they ask me about it. I'm able to reach people on a more personal level because they are open to hearing what I have to say, and are innately curious about why I would wear the "same freaking thing every day" (quoted from a friend in disbelief of my commitment). Probably 40-50 people have asked me about it, and I've been able to talk about it with them all. The normal reaction I get is 1) Can you wash it? and 2) I didn't know there was human sex trafficking in Ohio. The first question amuses me- and yes, I do wash it! The second question saddens me. We live in such a delusional state as Americans that we think the problems that plague other countries don't affect us, or that we are somehow immune to them. I don't want to start a debate about the mindset of Americans, I'm just telling you what I see to be true.

Spouting statistics, I watch as people become more and more uncomfortable. Starting with the worldwide statistics and stories of human trafficking, there is a look of wonder, possibly sadness, over the prospect of the worldwide victims. But, when I bring the conversation closer to home, Ohio in particular, the first thing I see is disbelief, then disgust. "That can't be happening in Ohio! Why wouldn't the government do something about it if it is?" A fair question. And one I cannot answer.

Yes, human sex trafficking occurs in Ohio. The FBI even cites Toledo as third on their watch list for sex trafficking recruitment. Government estimates state that there are over 3,000 sex slaves in Ohio alone! With this statement, cue a look of nausea on people's faces. Knowledge can be painful.

I am grateful that I am able to educate people about this horrible situation. My advocacy can hopeful lead more people to become impassioned about it and hopefully do something! I want nothing more than to plant the seeds that can lead people into the fight against trafficking.

Like I said before, I am continuing to realize more and more that I was meant to do this project. It is not only a project for a good cause, but a learning experience. God is using this to help teach me patience, perseverance, and what it means to be truly dedicated to something. I have always felt like I was a pretty patient person, able to do what needed to be done with little headache. But I am slowly losing my patience as I wait for October to end. It seems so easy to just take the dress off and return to normal, but that's not what I know I should do. I have to persevere, to push though everyday as I count down til November (19 days for anyone who's curious). This is what it means to be truly dedicated. To do what I know I need to, regardless of my resentment or negativity towards it. I have to remember what it's all about. Because it's not about me, but about the victims stuck in the cycle of abuse, and about honoring God through my attempts to free his beloved children from bondage. It's about my learning to put myself last and God first.

Every time I start to feel resentful towards the dress and the project, someone comes up and asks about it. I believe that this is God, urging me to continue. He sends someone in to remind me of my true purpose every time I start to give in. And I am forever thankful for that nudge.

So, keep asking. Keep fighting. And if you feel helpless and want to do something, check out the "how you can help" tab at the top of the blog.

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." ~ Philippians 4:13 

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

And the new hotbed of human trafficking is...

OHIO

Those of you who thought Ohio was all about rock n' roll, amazing chili, and a seriously unhealthy football obsession may want to think again. A new report conducted by the Trafficking in Persons Study Commission found that 1800 people are trafficked in Ohio every year. This includes 800 immigrants who are exploited in commercial sex and factory work, as well as about 1000 American-born children who are forced into prostitution. Who would have thought that Ohio would be such a hotebed of human trafficking?
But why Ohio, whose largest city, Columbus, is dwarfed by neighboring Chicago? How can a place that sounds and appears so wholesome be responsible for forcing a thousand children into sexual slavery each year? The report cites weak laws on human trafficking, a growing demand for cheap labor, and Ohio's proximity to the Canadian border as the key reasons modern-day slavery thrives in the state. I'm going to take a metaphorical highlighter to that word "demand," because that is the key to the human trafficking crisis.
Like many other places in the U.S., Ohio has a growing immigrant population, including those who have migrated legally, illegally but voluntarily, and involuntarily. Undocumented migrants are at increased risk for trafficking and exploitation, and in Ohio about 800 of them were found exploited in factories, agriculture, constriction sites, and brothels. Often, migrants are trafficked by high organized criminal networks who transport the victims into and around the U.S. They are the criminals, but it's the demand for cheap goods and food and for commercial sex that create an industry for trafficked immigrant workers.
What may be even more shocking in this study, however, is the 1000 American children who were forced into commercial sex over the course of a single year. It is shocking because it means that enough men in Ohio were willing to pay to rape a child to make trafficking that many kids profitable and worth the risk. If each of those children had sex with 5 men per night, 6 nights a week, that over 150,000 sex acts per year. Potentially, that's 150,000 men who are buying sex with trafficked children in Ohio. The report cited laws and geography as primary causes of trafficking in Ohio, but I would ask them to take a long hard look at the demand for commercial sex with children.
Ohio first made it onto the map of major trafficking destinations when a child sex trafficking ring that moved victims from truck stop to truck stop along the rust belt was busted. Most of the activity was centered in Toledo, Ohio, and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Not exactly the places I would have picked in my "International Criminal Trafficking Rings" poll. But traffickers go where they can make money by selling their victims, and those places were small cities in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
If all this bad news about Ohio has depressed you, check out this video, which celebrates some of the glories of Cleveland.

Article Courtesy of: http://news.change.org/stories/the-new-hotbed-of-human-trafficking-is-ohio

Monday, October 10, 2011

Athens Mayhem

Monday evening, sitting in my room and watching Saturday Night Live, while preparing for Religious In(Queer)y. This weekend was crazy! A carnival at Baker Center, airbrush tattoos, and a late night cuddle-fest and conversation. Saturday- sleep, homework, Open Doors Casa Dance. Oh yeah, and watching my hallmate, Maggie, give my roomie a mohawk, then putting a rubber duck in my hair. Sunday- up early to attend a LeaderShape Leadership Conference and F-Word.

Don't worry, I wore my dress the whole weekend. Plain on Friday and then hot pink fishnet tights and gloves on Saturday. It was epic. Fishnets and a SuperDuck in my hair- I was the belle of the ball ;~) I've got photos to prove it...

 Maggie and I before Casa on Saturday


My roomie, Sara, and I at the Baker Carnival on Friday


And Sara's awesome Mohawk, that is surprising still in 3 days later

Friday, October 7, 2011

JAC and Me

The week has been Trans World Awareness Week, which has had me quite busy. JAC Stringer, the Midwest GenderQueer, has graced OU with this presence since Wednesday. It was a great experience and JAC is featured in my picture from yesterday. He was trying to highlight the dress, which unfortunately makes me look pregnant from this angle...


There were great conversations, discussions, and interactions. I was encouraged by the amount of people that came to the events. Hopefully we've been able to open up the eyes of people at OU about the issues Trans* people face on a daily basis.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Hold On

If you don't like it, wait a minute and it will change

Welp, 5 days in and my commitment to blogging everyday is out the window. College life tends to get busy. Anyways, the past 3 days have been what I like to call "Ohio Weather." If you don't like it, wait one minute and it will change. Not the most original statement, but it still rings true. Monday was freezing. Hoodie and leggings. Apparently my leggings are not very warm. Tuesday, still cold, and I decided to wear the dress with nothing underneath but shorts. Sooo cold! Which brings us to today (even though it will technically be Thursday when I post this since it's 3 minutes to midnight). Anticipating cold, I wore jeans under my dress. But being Ohio, it was hot! Tomorrow is supposed to be just as warm as today, so maybe I'll try the shorts only thing again.

In case you didn't know, I am not the only one on campus doing One Dress, One Month. My friends Emily and Emily (yes, they're both named Emily) are doing it with me. To make it easier, we'll call one Fish and one Emily. Fish is the person that originally brought the idea of doing this project this month to me. Anyways, I ran into Emily (not Fish) at Donkey Coffee this evening and decided that would be the perfect picture for today. So, here you go- Emily and me in our dresses at Donkey...


People are starting to realize that I'm wearing the same dress everyday. People that know me always ask why I'm wearing a dress, since that's so unlike me; but those that don't know me as well are picking up on the fact that I'm wearing the same thing. That's how the conversations start. As I wrote about before, I'm not advertising what I'm doing, but am waiting for people to approach me. Considering how many people have already approached me, I'm hopeful that the word will continue to spread and people will be incited to step up and do something about human sex trafficking.

I still hate the dress, and kind of want to put it through a shredder. A dress just isn't my style and I'm not that comfortable in it. But, maybe I'll get more used to it as the month progresses. And I just need to keep in mind why I am doing this and give my doubts and insecurities about it all to God.

And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily…” Luke 18:7-8

Monday, October 3, 2011

Day 2: Perspective

Day 2 down. A lazy Sunday. I must say, I rather enjoy lounging around my room in my dress. I don't, however, enjoy sitting on the floor for 2 hours when I can't sit "unladylike" because of my dress. Sorry F-Word Ladies (and Gents)! Next week, I call the yoga mats...

I do enjoy the support the F-Word Ladies showed for my project and their willingness to join me in my Day 2 picture in front of a giant mirror!


(1) Athens is cold and rainy. I want warm pants. My legs are cold. Leggings are nice, but thin. Tomorrow I might have to pull off some jeans and dress action, no matter how ridiculous it looks. (2) Hoodies do not work well with a dress. While wearing my hoodie, the dress kept getting pulled higher and higher, making it shorter and shorter. And making me paranoid that my butt was showing, even though I was wearing shorts underneath.

But I really don't have any room to complain. Millions of women and girls cannot go home to a safe and warm bed, snuggle under a bunch of blankets, and forget their worries. It's about perspective. That seems to be smacking me in the face today. I'm walking around campus, wishing I was wearing something warmer and cursing this dress (I know day 2 and I hate the dress) when I should be grateful I have the choice to take it off and give up this project. To shed my burden, in a way. I can go back to my dorm and do homework under my soft snuggie, shedding the troubles of an unforgiving world.

I have options millions of people don't. I have a warm bed to myself and autonomy over my life. I am free.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Day 1

Well, I've officially completed the first day. Only 30 more to go...


My little brown dress. Simple, Versatile. Comfortable. I have a feeling that I'll hate it in a week. But I only have to wear it for a month, and can take it off at night.

There are thousands of women and children who cannot (metaphorically) take off their dresses. They are trapped in a cycle of abuse and torture. Young girls, forced to sleep with 10-15 men a night. Never knowing love, trapped in their feelings of hopelessness. Stuck in their "dresses."

For me, it's only 30 more days; but for those thousands of girls, they will be stuck in this cycle indefinitely. 

Friday, September 30, 2011

Blessed are the Outcasts

I find myself getting more and more anxious as tomorrow approaches. The prospect of wearing the same dress for an entire month is terrifying. What if I can't do it? What if it's too hard?

But then I remembered, it's not about me. This project is for the millions of girls who are traded and bought like  horses at an auction. Girls who feel as if no one cares about them, who have forgotten what it feels like to be humans and not just playthings.

God is there for the outcasts, the broken, the forgotten. God is our refuge and strength. For those who feel betrayed by the world, God is their rock.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
     for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
     for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
     for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,
     for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, 
     for they shall be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, 
     for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, 
     for they will be called the sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, 
     for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
~Matthew 5:3-10

With God, I can complete this project. But even more important, with God's help I can bring awareness to the problem of human trafficking in the world, and in Ohio. 

Blessed are the outcasts. 



Wednesday, September 28, 2011

I am Rahab

Smile Again
A Poem by Marlene Carson, founder of Rahab's Hideaway

I remember when I could smile, it seems so long ago
I was a sweet and happy child with so much to live for
A pretty brown little girl, unblemished and unaware
So young and unbelieving, no reason to beware

Perpetrators were out there with sweet lies I longed to hear
Those lies were preparations to bring confusion, control and fear
I was only 15 years old, never really had a chance
Never asked to a prom, never seen a high school dance

No love or romance just degrading situations
Forced into prostitution, trafficked across the nations
The situations I was facing was programed and organized
While those whom I depended on chose to close their eyes

They say guys will be guys, it's just money for sex
But it's really about abuse, misuse, and total disrespect
I had to disconnect, the reality was too devestating
The sex acts were degrading and soon I started hating

All the time I was waiting for chances to brake free
But my young mind was controlled by a P.I.M.P.
Psychological I was under his spell
So to make him happy I would go through living hell
The lies he would tell was sweet music to my hears
I would sell my soul just to keep him near

For so many years I lived in bondage like a slave
Until one day I saw the light and heard a voice say be brave
Now Things people called me I no longer answer to
I learned the poison in  your ears can cause cancer to- so 

Now I answer to the one who will never leave me
Never hurt or disrespect me never lie or deceive me
Now people believe me when I say that I am free
I take no credit see my blessing comes from he
Who will do just what he said
Give me a new life when I was spiritually dead
With pure thoughts in my head -and peace in my soul.

I now follow him and give him full control
And all I know is he chose to hold my hand and use me as his tool
And I will follow his command
So now here I stand not afraid to face the world
And I can smile again like back when I was a little girl.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

America's Dirty Secret


Love146.com

"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...

...All of these emotions begin to wreck you. Break you. It is agony. It is aching. It is grief. It is sorrow. The reaction is intuitive, instinctive. It is visceral. It releases a wailing cry inside of you. It elicits gut-level indignation. It is unbearable. I remember wanting to break through the glass. To take her away from that place. To scoop up as many of them as I could into my arms. To take all of them away. I wanted to break through the glass to tell her to keep fighting. To not give up. To tell her that we were coming for her…"

Because we went in as part of an ongoing, undercover investigation on this particular brothel, we were unable to immediately respond. Evidence had to be collected in order to bring about a raid and eventually justice on those running the brothel.  It is an immensely difficult problem when an immediate response cannot address an emergency.  Some time later, there was a raid on this brothel and children were rescued.  But the girl who wore #146 was no longer there.  We do not know what happened to her, but we will never forget her.  She changed the course of all of our lives."

-Rob Morris
President and Co-founder of Love 146

God's Journey

One Dress, One Month will be different than anything I've ever done. Not just the clothing aspect, but the idea that I'm not parading around my standpoint. I will not be walking around with a giant sign saying what I am doing, nor will I be standing on a soapbox or marching down the streets. I will simply go about my daily life with only the change of a permanent addition to my wardrobe. Some people will notice and ask, and that's when I'm able to share my view. But, for those that don't notice or don't ask, I won't be shoving it down their throats.

Which in some ways is easier for people to handle. Many people ignore the signs, the yelling, the "in your face" campaigns because it's just too noisy, too upfront. With a project like this, only those who are truly curious about what I am doing will know. Only those that ask. I pray that by making it a dialogue instead of a sermon, people will be more willing to listen and open heartedly take in what I say. I hope that God will use this to touch the people I come into contact with, and plant a seed in each individual that will blossom into a passion for social justice, for the freedom of the women and girls.

Because that's what it's all about. It's about the women and girls suffering in the trafficking. I am merely a vessel, bringing the news and allowing people to glean what they can. It is through God that my work will change lives and hearts, hopefully bringing more people along in the fight to end human trafficking.

It is through God that am led on my journey, and through God that I will succeed.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8: 38-39

Monday, September 26, 2011

Some Numbers...

  • The U.S Government estimates that nearly 30,000,000 people worldwide are suffering from human trafficking
  • Trafficking for labor & sexual exploitation is probably the second most profitable activity in the world for organized crime
  • Youth who are trafficked come from urban, suburban and rural areas
  • The Ohio Trafficking Commission Report 2010 says that there are nearly 2,000 victims from Ohio
  • Many of the victims are runaways and the vast majority come from homes where they were already suffering from abuse
  • Toledo, Ohio has been cited by the FBI and the NCMEC as a top U.S. recruitment city for trafficking children
  • Despite an estimated prevalence of 100,000 to 150,00010 slaves in the U.S., fewer than 1,000 victims have been assisted through the efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement since 2001, when services for trafficking victims were first made available
These numbers are unacceptable. Just looking at them makes me raging mad! The problem is that so few people know what a huge problem this is IN OHIO! It's not just Asian women and girls being taken to China or Indonesia, but women and children in the United States and in OHIO!

The Daughter Project is the only faith-based shelter for girls that escape sex trafficking in Toledo, Ohio. I hope that you will support my project by looking into what YOU can do to help this organization or anything else you can do to help stop human sex trafficking.

Looking Forward...

5 days from today, I will be taking on what might be the longest advocacy project in my life so far. One Month of wearing the same dress- Everyday! My normal outfit consists of jeans, a t-shirt, hoodie or flannel shirt, and converses. Never a dress, never a skirt- not unless it was a special occasion. So wearing a skirt everyday is definitely not my idea of comfortable clothing.

This isn't the first time I've done that, though. The Columbus School for Girls uniform is a pleated plaid skirt and knee high socks, with collared shirt and monogrammed sweater. I attended this school for my last two years of high school, and grew rather fond of the uniform. The difference is that now, it is my choice. I am not required to wear this dress everyday, as I was my school uniform.

I do this out of duty. Duty to God, to Ohio University, to my friends and family. A duty to myself. But most importantly, a duty to the Victims of Sex Trafficking. A duty to share their story, raise awareness, and ultimately advocate for their survival.

I ask you to come along with me on this journey; a journey of awareness, advocacy, and self-discovery.