A candid conversation with mothers & daughters on sexuality and self-image. Join us for a time of learning how to break down social stereotypes in a healthy way, while spending quality time with the special girls in your life. Stay longer shop our WAR Chest Boutique or enjoy a Latte from our Tea Trade Cafe for the ultimate day of mother-daughter bonding.
Registration is Closed
*Intended for ages 12 and older
How to turn #MyFreedomDay into #MillionsFreedomDay
What does freedom mean to you? Does it mean having the power to think and speak freely? The opportunity to get an education? The ability to hold a job? Having a roof over your head? Or maybe, having free time to surf the web and read articles about what freedom means to you?
Currently, there are anywhere from 27 to 30 million men, women, and children that do not have freedom. Instead of going to school, working a paid job, or having a safe place to come home to, these people are forced into slave labor. Common examples of modern day slave labor include mining, manufacturing, agricultural labor, fishing, child marriage, and prostitution. And, the worst thing about modern day slavery is that most of us contribute to their oppression without even realizing it.
However, On Tuesday, March 14th the movement #MyFreedomDay is an opportunity to turn that around. CNN and Youth Underground are partnering together to form a student-led global fight for freedom. To spread awareness of modern day slavery, they are asking you to get involved on social media.
Here are some easy ways to become a part of the movement:
Reading this article is a great start! Be sure to check out the links provided on this page to get an in-depth understanding of what we’re up against and what we’ve accomplished.
Here at WAR Int’l, we focus on ending cycles of poverty and informing people about the reality of human trafficking and slave labor. Through our worldwide safehouses, vocational training, education programs, microenterprises, medical aid, orphanages, and emergency intervention, we help prevent trafficking and slave labor even before it happens.
We encourage you to sign up for our email updates or follow us on social media. To read stories of freedom and redemption, or to see how we have impacted women around the world, visit our webpage.
Every time you access social media, you have a voice. Now is a time to use your voice to fight for those who have been silenced. On #MyFreedomDay, post a photo or video with the hashtag #MyFreedomDay on any social media and define what freedom means to you.
At WAR, Int’l, we want to encourage you to continue to speak up for human rights year round. Sharing articles and facts are efficient ways in keeping your friends and families informed, as well. Spreading awareness is the first step in fighting human trafficking and slave labor.
If you are interested in taking further steps to combat human trafficking in your community, we encourage you to not only speak up, but sign up. Volunteer at local organizations such as WAR, Int’l or visit the National Human Trafficking Hotline to see a map of organizations across the U.S.
If you’re local, or can travel to West Michigan for a Saturday, click this link to register for our next Civilian First Responder conference that will be held on March 25th at Thornapple Covenant Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Here we will discuss the lures used by traffickers, how to respond to crisis situations in a healthy way, what makes a community susceptible to trafficking and more.
Another great way in fighting slavery is by putting your money where your mouth is. Out of the 30 million slaves, nearly half of them are exploited by economic activity. Most of our favorite products such as chocolate, coffee, electronics, clothing, and diamonds are produced mainly by slave labor.
By being conscious buyers, not only do we reduce our slavery footprint and support people who are at risk of being trafficked, but we also stop the demand for slave labor altogether. Always look for Fairtrade labels and shop at our store where we believe in “Beyond Fair Trade” to not only ensure that our products are ethically made, but also provide a positive human connection from producer to consumer.
Your typical, everyday actions affect modern day slavery. Each time you walk into a grocery store, shop for a pair of jeans, or log in to your social media accounts, you have the power to make a difference. This Tuesday, make the choice to be a part of the #MyFreedomDay movement, and then continue to make daily choices that help give freedom to millions of slaves. By speaking up about human trafficking, signing up at local organizations that fight slave labor, and stocking up on only ethically made products, we can fight slavery together.
Across the globe, March 8 is celebrated as International Women’s Day. This celebration of women can serve as a great reminder to appreciate the women in your life and all they have done for you. However, International Women’s Day is not just about appreciating what women have done. It is, and always has been, a day for women to come together to make life better for one another.
This sense of solidarity and need for change is what inspired the first Women’s Day. It began in 1908 with suffragettes marching on the streets of New York City, protesting for equal rights, and the following year, National Women’s Day was declared in the United States. It gained international recognition in 1910, with women from over seventeen countries agreeing to observe a day to emphasize the fight for equal rights. In 1975, March 8 was officially designated by The United Nations as International Women’s Day. Organizers have selected yearly themes since 1996, ranging from ending hunger for rural women to ending violence against women.
The theme for 2017 is about making a change in the world. This year’s slogan, “Be Bold for Change,” encourages us to do something in the name of women around the world—especially something we might not usually do. The International Women’s Day website suggests actions such as calling out instances when women are excluded, reinforcing and supporting women’s triumphs, and encouraging women to further their education.
At Women At Risk, International, we are working to support and empower women every day of the year. Our partnering safehouses, both international and here in the United States, rescue and restore at-risk and wounded women by giving them a safe place to heal while providing counseling, education, and skill training. Our vocational training and microenterprise partners give at-risk women the opportunity to make their own living, empowering them to safely support themselves and avoid exploitation. Educational and outreach programs in the United States and abroad give women who want to better their situation the power to do so.
This March 8, consider what you can do to help women around the world. Find a way to be bold for change—perhaps through supporting or volunteering with WAR, Int’l. We wish all women around the world a very happy International Women’s Day!
You never know when you might come across someone in need of your help. For one flight attendant, it happened when she was on the job. On a flight from Seattle to San Francisco, Sheila Fredrick, a stewardess for Alaskan Airlines, spotted a pair of passengers who seemed suspicious. When she saw a young girl traveling with an older, very well-dressed man, she acted, leaving a note for the girl in the airplane bathroom, which the girl responded to. Fredrick made sure that police were waiting at the terminal when the plane arrived. Fredrick had previously been trained by a group called the Airline Ambassadors. They are an organization teaching flight attendants how to spot trafficking victims traveling with their captors. The program has been effective, as Fredrick was able to put her knowledge and training to good use.
When Uber driver Keith Avila picked up a few passengers heading to a hotel last month in Sacramento, California, he heard some unusual talk and knew something was off. Instead of the normal chatter heard in the back of his cab, he overheard two women discussing the delivery of a young trafficking victim to a john. Avila called the police as soon as the women had left his car. Both women were arrested, as well as the john at the hotel. Avila was congratulated by Uber, who praised both his actions and his professionalism.
Law enforcement officers use their training to help victims of human trafficking on a daily basis. In the first few days of February, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department made 474 arrests, all in relation to human trafficking. The arrests were part of the department’s yearly Operation Reclaim and Rebuild, an annual effort to focus and crack down on sex trafficking in the Los Angeles area. This year, 28 children and 27 adults were rescued as part of Operation Reclaim and Rebuild.
Dr. Robert Pless is also using his training to fight human trafficking. As a professor of computer science and engineering at Washington University, Pless’ research focuses on computer vision. He works to find what satellites, cell phones, and other devices can see, and how what they see can help us understand the world around us. Part of his work has been focused on developing an app called TraffickCam. With TraffickCam, people can take photos of their hotel rooms whenever they happen to be staying in one. These photos can then be run against photos in online ads, which help police identify where a victim might be located. Pless’ training in camera software has allowed him to help others rescue victims of this crime.
After attending a Women at Risk, International Civilian First Responder (CFR) training recently, one Virginia woman was able to use her training and knowledge to save another human trafficking victim. This woman spotted and reported a child abduction in her neighborhood while walking her dog. She was able to keep herself safe in a dangerous situation, and help others in similar danger.
If you want to be prepared, both to protect yourself and others, please consider attending an upcoming Civilian First Responder training through Women At Risk, International. At these events, you will learn more about the lures used by traffickers, signs of exploitation, helpful reporting techniques, and how to get involved in the fight against this injustice. We encourage you to be prepared in case you come across someone who might need your help.
Women At Risk, International is excited to announce the recent release of our first CD project, Voices of WAR. You won’t want to miss this stirring compilation of worship songs sung by four talented survivors near and dear to the heart of WAR.
The inspiration for the Voices of WAR CD took root several years ago when two of the women unexpectedly met each other at WAR, Int’l headquarters. President Becky McDonald introduced them, saying, “Survivor, meet survivor,” and asked them to sing for each other. She describes what happened next:
Standing in the shelter of the WAR boutique, they sang—binding their hearts. Staff and shoppers held their breath as they witnessed the unique “circle of protection” that exists between survivors: a powerful, invisible bond, an instant connection. The trauma scars that once held their bodies and hearts captive evaporated as these survivors found safety and refuge in each other’s presence. They held each other’s hearts tenderly, without judgement, with eyes too old for their souls, having walked the same path.
That day, the dream of recording their voices was born.
Several years later, these talented vocalists, along with another talented survivor, gathered in Nashville, Tennessee, to make that dream come true. (The fourth singer recorded her songs separately.) Joined by a world-class producer and musicians, they assembled in Reba McEntire’s studio and poured out their hearts in song and celebration of the journey to healing.
For three days, they sang, laughed, cried, prayed, and sang some more, as Becky sat and scribbled in a journal, capturing the thoughts and memories of those days:
I’m sitting in Reba’s studio. It doesn’t look like a studio. Oh, yes, there are buttons everywhere that the sound engineers are magically controlling. But it looks like my home. This makes me happy. My survivors will feel like we are hanging out in a cozy safe place. This is good. I feel at home.
I look at the women gathered here for this precious day. Oh, Evil, when you picked on these girls, you picked the wrong crowd. They have been to hell and back. But you cannot keep them down. … I look at the pain on their faces as they sing and I determine—so help me God—to buy it back, one tear, one song at a time. May their tears of joy turn those listening away from sorrow and into a new circle of protection and hope! I want every listener to feel God’s presence like light seeping into their darkness.
We invite you to be one of those listeners, allowing the joyful voices of these gifted women fill you with God’s presence as you join them in a celebration of rescue and hope. From the rousing strains of “Break Every Chain” to the quiet strength of “In You,” from the fiery declaration of “Giving Back Love” to the worshipful tones of “The One,” Voices of WAR will inspire you, delight you, and draw you into a worship experience like no other.
