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July 13, 2017

Article: “Children must be alert to human trafficking”

Weerawan Mosby, founder and director of children’s rights protection group "HUG Project" and winner of this year’s TIP Report Hero Acting to End Modern Slavery Award, spoke at a conference in Bangkok about the need to educate and protect children from human trafficking. Weerawan said she has seen more and more child victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in recent years. She stressed that efforts to rescue and support child victims of human trafficking is not enough to put a stop to such crimes. Weerawan advocated for a “defensive” or preventative approach, one that entails both educating at-risk children about the dangers of human trafficking and monitoring them while they are in school, before they can be victimized. Weerawan motivated the crowd saying, “In the end, when facing these evil practices, we are all confronted with a choice: do nothing, or do something.”

Every day, Free To Shine works to fill this gap in services highlighted by Weerawan. Our team of education officers and social workers closely monitor each girl enrolled in our scholarship program, making sure they stay healthy, safe, in school, and out of brothels. Through our community education program, we inform our girls, their families and communities about the dangers of human trafficking, the ploys sex traffickers use and the human rights they have. When entire communities are educated and empowered, there is a larger, stronger network working to keep their children safe. To fund a Free To Shine anti-trafficking outreach officer or community training session- click here.