What Are Women Worth?

This image (left) represents the MILLIONS of WOMEN in Human Trafficking. These women are simply thought of as something to be purchased. As stated on the National Human Trafficking Hotline website, "Sex trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which individuals perform commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. Minors under the age of 18 engaging in commercial sex are considered to be victims of human trafficking, regardless of the use of force, fraud, or coercion." Human Trafficking came to mind for this post because I once heard a statistic that Super Bowl weekend is the largest human trafficking event in the country every year. Check out this article Super Bowl and Human Trafficking . While I don't know if those statistics are accurate, I do know that human trafficking is a REAL problem all over the world and right here in the United States. This is an issue that I have become more aware of since my time in college and feel as though bringing

 awareness to these women is part of how the
message can be counteracted.
Of course there are
more active ways to fight against this epidemic as well (I'll share some resources in a bit). One stand I believe we can take as counselors is to create a culture and language of respect for women...among women themselves and among men. We can counteract societies {sometimes} pervasive message that women's bodies are for sell. While that may not be the intent of some marketers out there, selling "sex" can lead to the thought that buying it is okay too. The image above is one example of a major company portraying a sexual encounter that to me is inappropriate....why should this image be used to sell their products? Don't hear me say this ad is promoting Human Trafficking, that is not its intent. But I do think it portrays an unhealthy image of how women should be treated. The more sensitized we become to images like this as a society, the easier it is for people to accept the concept of selling actual women as a business too.  According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Human Trafficking is a 32 BILLION dollar industry.

1 in 5 in Human Trafficking are under the age of 18

 How can we counteract this tragic trend? This is a helpful resource for those who will work in the school systems from the National Hotline website: Human Trafficking Awareness for Educators.This resource provides basic information about Human trafficking, tips on how to recognize when it is happening and resources for what to do in response. The PowerPoint also describes how mental health stability is a factor in the susceptibility for students to be trafficked...definitely something we can take part in preventing and educating! This issue is not something that is commonly discussed and may be something you haven't thought of before, but it should be something we talk about. It is said through Human Trafficking there are more slaves today in the world than any other time in history. That means we need a CHANGE to happen. The organization I originally learned about Human Trafficking through is the End It Movement . This organization has many ways you can join the fight against trafficking. These are some local resources I have found out about as well:Trafficking Hope, Louisiana Coalition Against Human Trafficking, and Tigers Against Trafficking. I think statistics can be powerful to show the impact of something, check out these numbers right here in Louisiana. This is happening right around us, let's be aware and make a difference!

With this in mind......What are women worth? How can we create a culture that does not believe in selling sex as a business opportunity? Is Human Trafficking something you have thought of or been aware of before?