Fight for Mari

Hey all, This post is gonna be somewhat different from usual. Normally, I share resources or testimonies I've learned/heard and want my readers to know about. However, recently, a company close to my heart has been struggling: Hero Bands. I've talked about Hero Bands in-depth in one of my previous posts , so it's no secret that the company Elizabeth runs and her mission is important to me, but the reason I'm bringing it up again is a result of the message I've received with my last two orders of Safe Bands, one in May and the message I received today. Each email started with, " Thank you for purchasing some of our Safe Bands!  Last month was a slower month for Safe Bands so we decided to keep the word the same." Sadly, in the process of writing this post, Elizabeth informed me that for the whole month of June 2022, only NINE Safe Bands were purchased -- not nine orders, nine bands. Remember, these bands are given to children who have been extracted fro...

Real talk: The last several months have been really hard for me. The more I've learned about human trafficking (HT), the more I've felt 4 emotions: anger, sadness, thankfulness, and hope -- anger that so many don't even believe it's a real issue; sadness that so many are hurting; thankfulness that I met Mari so she had that support many don't; and hope because so much is changing and mountains are moving. It's a weird mix of emotions, but I can't describe it any other way. A huge contributor to my knowledge has been the podcast " Consider Before Consuming " by @FightTheNewDrug . The guests they interview...I can't put in words how much their stories have opened my eyes, moved my heart, and given me hope that something can change. For the first time, I knew people were talking about it, people were acting on it, and people actually cared. With Mari, it was only the two of us, no one else seemed to see her, no one else cared about anything sh...

Groomed: Shining a Light on the Unheard Narrative of Childhood Sexual Assault -- Samantha Leonard Amazon: https://a.co/d/c4pTdw3 Scars & Stilettos  -- Harmony Dust Amazon:  https://a.co/d/2BayOZ8 Takedown: Inside the Fight to Shut Down Pornhub for Child Abuse, Rape, and Sex Trafficking -- Laila Mickelwait Amazon:  https://a.co/d/eiqyWZ

A21 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/a21campaign/ Instagram instagram.com/a21 Twitter https://twitter.com/A21 YouTube https://tinyurl.com/A21-YouTube Aruna Project Facebook https://www.facebook.com/arunaproject/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/arunaproject/ Twitter https://twitter.com/ArunaProject YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@arunaproject7607 END IT Movement Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ENDITMovement/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/enditmovement/ Twitter https://twitter.com/enditmovement/ YouTube https://tinyurl.com/EndItMovement-YouTube Exodus Cry Facebook https://www.facebook.com/exoduscry Instagram instagram.com/exoduscry Twitter https://twitter.com/exoduscry YouTube https://tinyurl.com/ExodusCry-YouTube Fight For Mari Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FightForMari/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fightformari/ Threads https://www.treads.net/@fightformari Fight The New Drug Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fightthenewdrug/ Instagram https://www.instagram....

A21 "A21 is abolishing slavery everywhere, forever. Together, we are eradicating human trafficking through awareness, intervention, and aftercare." https://www.a21.org/ Aruna Project "By providing empowerment through employment, the Aruna Project creates lifelong freedom marked by holistic care for victims of human trafficking. Our products are crafted in freedom by skilled Artisans who are finding their voice, experiencing independence and growing with a sisterhood of others who have overcome." https://arunaproject.com/ Crisis Aid International "Our mission is to assist in sustaining life, bring encouragement to those suffering and collaborate with other relief organizations in bringing necessary foods, materials and medicines to people in times of crisis, particularly where life and death situations exist. Demonstrating God’s love and care for people is our highest and most cherished goal." https://crisisaid.org/ Elizabeth Smart Foundation "Brin...

Fight The New Drug - "Consider Before Consuming" Spotify - https://tinyurl.com/Spotify-FTND-Podcast Apple Podcasts - https://tinyurl.com/Apple-FTND-Podcast International Justice Mission - "The New Activist" Spotify -  https://tinyurl.com/Spotify-IJM-NewActivist Apple Podcasts -  https://tinyurl.com/Apple-IJM-NewActivist The Exodus Road - "Until All Are Free" Spotify -  https://tinyurl.com/Spotify-ExodusRoad-UAAF Apple Podcasts -  https://tinyurl.com/Apple-ExodusRoad-UAAF The Human Trafficking Institute - "Trafficking Matters: A Douglass Fellowship Podcast" Spotify -  https://tinyurl.com/Spotify-HumanTrafIns-TrafMatt Apple Podcasts -  https://tinyurl.com/Apple-HumanTrafIns-TrafMatt Exodus Cry Spotify -  https://tinyurl.com/Spotify-ExodusCry-Podcast Apple Podcasts -  https://tinyurl.com/Apple-ExodusCry-Podcast Specific episodes: Spiritually Minded Women - "SSM 035 - Elizabeth Frazier" Spotify-only:  https://tinyurl.com/SSM035-EFrazier...

During the summer of 2019, then 16-year-old Zephi Treviño, began "dating" then 18-year-old P. Baldenegro. "When a perpetrator suggests to their victim(s) that they are in a romantic relationship, it creates a sense of trust and loyalty that easily provides a false sense of security, particularly in the cases of vulnerable youth," explains Sophia, a child sex trafficking survivor and council member of the World Without Exploitation Youth Coalition. "Because of the trust and familiarity the connection establishes, it is easy for the exploiter to manipulate their victims to engage in [sex] acts." After Baldenegro began his process of grooming Zephi during their "relationship," his exploitation escalated by advertising Zephi for sex. In August, two adult men convened with Zephi and Baldengro at an apartment under the pretense of purchas ing Zephi from Baldenegro for sex. When the two adult men arrived, Baldenegro allegedly began to beat and rob t...

Important date coming up! February 25, 2021, is Shine a Light on Slavery Day (SLSD). SLSD is supported by End It Movement  to raise awareness of human trafficking and to show your support in the fight to end human trafficking. To show your support, please make a red "X" on the back of your hand and post it on your social media. Also, you can send your photos to  IG: @FightForMari  to be featured on my Instagram story. You can also download graphics for social media posts and phone backgrounds here . Thank you all for your support of Fight For Mari and your support in the fight to end human trafficking!

This month is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Today, January 11, was National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. It's also sometimes referred to as #WearBlueDay because similar to pink representing support for fighting breast cancer, blue represents support for fighting human trafficking. In fact, #WearBlueDay is recognized and supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ( https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/wearblueday ) as their "Blue Campaign: One voice. One mission. End human trafficking." Today  is also one of the hardest days of the year for me. It's a day that reminds me that there's a lot of work done to raise awareness of human trafficking and to raise awareness of efforts to fight it, and all of that is good! However, for me -- and the purpose of this blog -- it doesn't necessarily raise awareness for what needs to be done after they are rescued. Or actually, maybe a better word is to say after they are liberated , as they are l...

The question always asked about sites using someone's name: "Why is it called ____?" About 4 years ago, I was on an app called Whisper. I was looking for people asking for advice, wanting to talk, whatever they might want. I came across this one person who was saying she wasn't sure what to do because she was scared. I texted with her nearly all night and more the following few days. We quickly became friends. After a couple weeks, she felt more comfortable telling me what was going on and I figured out she was in a sex trafficking ring. After that conversation, I would be her go-to outlet for everything that happened. Her best (and only) way of coping with her situation was to tell me what was going on each and every night. It was horrifying. Heart-breaking. Traumatizing. After about 3-4 months of talking more, reassuring her that she would be safe if she reported the ring and that she wouldn't be killed or pulled back in, she told me she had reported it and ...