Want to fight human trafficking? There’s an app for that.

We can hold a miracle of modern technology in the palm of our hands: the smart phone. With built-in features like high-definition cameras and GPS location, it’s never been easier to communicate in a variety of ways. You can even download extra applications programmed for special tasks, from social media to self-productivity, to access on-the-go.

Human trafficking prevention is no exception. In the fight against trafficking, here are four free apps developed by companies with a heart for ending global slavery.

1. Redlight Traffic

Developed by redlighttraffic.org, this app allows citizens to report suspicious activity that may be related to human trafficking. Users may submit reports under one of three categories: business, person, or vehicle, depending on the context in which they suspect human trafficking. All reports are then shared with local authorities. The app also features a short informational page on how to recognize physical and behavioral signs of trafficking victims.

 

2. The STOP APP

This app is very similar to Redlight Traffic, but with the additional feature of attaching up to three photos and one video with a submitted report. After submitting these images, users are prompted to fill out three brief forms describing who they observed, where they observed, and what they observed. This information then goes directly to STOP THE TRAFFIK’s database.

 

3. Lifeboat ACT Game

Created with interactive features and story-structured gameplay, this app lets users learn how to identify the signs of human trafficking in the people they love. Play as Tommy or Sarah as they watch their friend Macy manipulated into becoming a victim. Identify red flags in the surroundings, along with legitimate reasons for raised suspicions; players can even reach out for lifelines like police officers and reference books if they feel stuck. This app combines education with fun as users learn that everyone can play a role in identifying victims of human trafficking.

 

4. TraffickCam

TraffickCam was specifically created with frequent travelers in mind. Because trafficking victims are often photographed in hotel rooms, this app lets users photograph their hotel rooms and upload them to TraffickCam’s database. These pictures are then analyzed and run against a database of pictures provided by law enforcement to find sex trafficking locations. The app also pinpoints the location of its users when they upload a picture, so that if a match is found, the local authorities know exactly where to look. With an 85% success rate, even the FBI agrees that this app could revolutionize how they conduct their investigations.

 

Don’t have a smartphone, but still want to help? Volunteer for us at Women At Risk, International (WAR, Int’l), or host a shopping party for you and your friends. There are so many ways to contribute in the fight against human trafficking – whether you use a smartphone, or your own two hands.

WAR, Int’l invites you to stop into the brand new Tea Trade Café for breakfast from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Sept. 23 to try fair trade coffees and teas. That same day, lunch and dinner will be served. There will be special guest appearances by musicians Grooters & Beal, as well as community leaders and local media personalities.

On Saturday, Sept. 24, brunch will be served from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This family-friendly event will include a free bouncy house, cotton candy, and more. The Wyoming Fire Department will be showing off a fire truck at 11:00 a.m. for children in attendance.

Each purchase at the Tea Trade Café will support at-risk and rescued women all around the world. This café will also serve as a training ground for women who have been rescued from injustices like human trafficking, where barista and business skills will be taught. Serving fair trade coffee and teas, each dining experience will provide sustainable income for artisans all over the world, ensuring they work in safe environments.

The menu is diverse, featuring blended coffee drinks, breakfast foods, soups and salads, Paninis, wraps, croissants, snacks, baked goods, and gluten and vegetarian-friendly options.

Get Involved

WAR, Int’l invites community members of all ages to join us for the Grand Opening of our Tea Trade Café. This family-friendly event will include a bouncy house for children, and even an appearance by a Wyoming Fire Department fire truck. All food served during our opening weekend will be by donation only. Specialty and fountain drinks will be sold at regular café pricing. Regular hours of the café after the Grand Opening will be as follows: Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and closed on Sundays.

For more information please contact:

Women At Risk, International

Phone: 616.855.0796

info@warinternational.org

If the Crown Fits

A day with Liz Curtis Higgs

Join us on November 5, 2016, for a full day of laughter and learning with Liz Curtis Higgs. An award-winning speaker, Higgs is the author of more than 20 books – including Bad Girls of the Bible. During her time with us, she will be sharing from her heart with insight into the life of the Queen of Sheba, based upon the knowledge gleaned from her newest endeavor, It’s Good to be Queen.

To further explore what it means to be queen, WAR, Int’l will be hosting a humorous spin on the traditional auction. Take part in this entertaining fundraiser by bidding on eccentric baskets filled with items even a queen would drool over. Your purchase will have you leaving with items that include artwork and beauty supplies, along with dozens of other gifts to make your Christmas presents the talk of the year. All of the proceeds from these baskets will be given to WAR, Int’l to aid in caring for victims of sexual exploitation. A photo booth, survivor-made product, worship, and more will also be provided. We invite women from all over West Michigan to join us for this extra special event.

Calvary CRC
3500 Byron Center Ave SW,
Wyoming, MI
November 5, 2016
Ticket Price: $20
Early-bird (before October 1): $18
Parties of 10 or more: $15
Doors open at 8:30 a.m.
Event: 9am – 4pm

lunch is included in ticket price

Get Tickets Here

*Location may change based on attendance. Please check back at a later date for final location and times.*

For three weeks every September, one of the largest art events in the world, ArtPrize, takes over the city of Grand Rapids. More than 400,000 people visit this city to embrace creativity and vote on which art piece deserves the cash award. During this time, hundreds of people walk the streets, creating the perfect opportunity for us to inform our community on the topic of human trafficking. The streets of downtown Grand Rapids become our platform for raising awareness about the prevalence of this injustice in our area.

Part of this heightened awareness includes Women At Risk, Int’l (WAR, Int’l) co-hosting a community-wide S.O.A.P. Project (Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution), founded by anti-trafficking advocate and survivor, Theresa Flores, on September 10, 2016. Flores, who grew up in the suburbs of Detroit in the 1980s, was trafficked out of her own home without her parents knowing at the age of 15 by a classmate and his cousins. The pain of this injustice driving her, Flores started the S.O.A.P. Project to reach out to women and girls who desperately need to escape the sex industry but lack the resources to do so.

S.O.A.P. is a project that includes wrapping bars of soap in labels that have the national human trafficking hotline number (1-888-373-7888) printed on them. Hotels are hotspots for trafficking. Victims and customers are easily hidden amongst those who come and go from their many rooms. The labeled bars are distributed to local hotels to be placed in bathrooms, creating the opportunity for victims to seek necessary help. Along with these bars, posters of missing children are handed out to hotel staff members, encouraging them to report any suspicious activity that could occur at their place of employment.

We invite you to join WAR, Int’l on September 10 to help wrap and distribute the bars of soap. You’ll have the opportunity to hear from our WAR, Int’l President Becky McDonald, law enforcement officials, and Theresa Flores herself. You’ll also be invited to join us on outreach as we drive around to hotels in our area to offer them these labeled, complimentary soaps. The cost for the afternoon is just $10, which covers your lunch.

Join us in making the most of ArtPrize this year by creating circles of protection and becoming modern-day abolitionists for women at risk in the greater Grand Rapids area. We have an opportunity to be advocates and catalysts for change this year. Mark your calendars and join us for the S.O.A.P. Project 2016. Registration for this event is required prior to September 10, and can be found on our website at warinternational.org.

During ArtPrize, we will also be partnering with the exhibit titled “Stories in Blue,” by Stephanie Sandberg. This piece will use various creative elements to tell the stories of trafficking survivors. If you cannot attend our SOAP event, please consider visiting the exhibit in its entirety during ArtPrize, from September 21 through October 9.

Date: 9/10/2016
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: WAR, Int’l Headquarters
Cost: $10 to cover the cost of lunch

Women At Risk, Int’l Headquarters
2790 44th St. SW
Wyoming, MI 49519
(616) 855-0796

Register Here!