We should paint the town blue.

A copy of my facebook post today , the extended version 

I should have worn blue today , I should have worn blue today 

The nation should have worn blue 

I couldnt find one item in my wardrobe that color

And the town didnt seem  the memo , not loud enough 

But I still stand in solidarity with my World pulse family as we raised our voices in commeration of

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day

which is highlighted on the 11th janurary every year

We in Trinidad and Tobago are not ignorant to the fact that this is a growing issue in our little island as well

But we are not as proactive as we should be .

In recent times we have had an increase in this negative activity

Many families have been  left in trauma as the disapperance of a loved one is without a trace

Or our  newcast is highlighted with the latest bust on a nightclub ,and foriegn women are rescued from what operates under the guise of a spa , horror stories are then related of them being lured to our shores by promises of jobs and a better life from nieghbouring venezula .

Being our closest nieghbours , if you can swim 7 miles , and with not enough border security ,the  reprecussions of the economic crisis in venezula has brought along with our efforts to assist some negative backlashes .

The government has inplemented many measures to fight this ,laws have been adjusted with stiffer penalties ,help has also come from the United Nations , the US Government ,and Global NGO,s but according to a US states department report we can do much more , as none of the persons arrested in conditions with this crime has ever been convicted.

Together with awareness through education and community outreach , one of the programmes provides tangible assistance of shelter,councelling and empowerment of victims , but according to a US states department report we can do much more , as none of the persons arrested in conditions with this crime has ever been convicted 

As palabi said in her discussion , poverty is one of the driving forces behind human trafficking . Women from South American countries are easy prey as they seek employment opportunities 

She also spoke different aspects  like child or forced marriages  being accepted as part of the culture  in some areas, and while the task may seem overwhelming ,her efforts has raised a lot of awareness and resulted in almost 6000 persons being rescued from human trafficking

Global Human Trafficking is rapidly become a brisk trade ,where human are brought and sold like merchandise

Research has shown it continues to grow rapidly and is a multi million dollar industry .

We need to avail ourselves of the  proper imformation out there and seek to be more aware of this scourge

Today, there are approximately 45.8 million people caught in the trap of modern slavery around the world. This includes 10 million children, 15.4 million people in forced marriage, and 4.8 million people in forced sexual exploitation. However, it is difficult to determine exact statistics because so many cases of human trafficking go undetected and unreported as quoted from a recent research blog .

To raise awareness some of my fellow World Pulse sister did a Youtube presentation highlighting the work of two very powerful social Activist ,with organisations that are fighting human trafficking and Domestic Violence by providing recue and awareness campaigns and rehabilitation programmes for victims.

I encourage you to take a listen as Pallabi Ghosh​ Co Founder Anti Slavery Collective for Generation Equality,

As she shares on the amazing work she is doing , the risk involved and the challenges she has faced to accomplish this .

She is interviewed by Elena Georgiou​ founder of Miss Texas Show ,as part of their efforts at raising awareness on Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence

My dearest sister Jill Langhus-Griffin founder NGO , Liluye was also featured in a discussion about Human trafficking, prevention and healing and Domestic Violence https://youtu.be/uinO8BoApQk