Jenna Elfman’s Advertising Awareness Of….

I read this fascinating advertising awareness article that is mildly depressing, but hits home for me.  I have heard people talk about human trafficking and read different articles about business models that treat employees as less than dignified people, and how in many third world or deregulated countries that is a common practice.

Jenna Elfman is composing a 3 part series on human trafficking and providing us with resources to become more informed about these issues.  I have attended different events where Human Rights issues were the subject, both in university and in my grown-up job, but have never really thought about it till now.  I am a newish father, and I coach a team of high school girls in footie, and it has suddenly smacked me over the head like a garden spade that this is something I need to be aware of.

Do you know who made your home goods?

Let’s start with the consumption and use of products that we use on an everyday basis.  My family and I have stopped using certain manufacturers goods who use unethical business practices and shop less and less from stores that use unethical labor sources for their manufacture of specific goods.  Why?  Well, because they might be cheap, but the quality isn’t the best and the effect of perpetuating this type of business isn’t something that either of us want to do.  There are lots of examples of how advertising large corporations’ use of human trafficked labor sources and sweatshops have been in legal hot water.

This case involving Nike, one of the biggest names in Sportswear Apparel ruled against Nike and their use of sweatshops for manufacturing.

https://archive.cleanclothes.org/news/4-companies/986-nike-loses-court-case-on-sweatshop-allegations

Advertising sex trafficking routes.

Additionally, in the last Superbowl there were a number of arrests made for those using underage prostitutes, and in fact the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbot stated that the Superbowl is “the single largest human trafficking incident in the U.S.”  You can read more about sex trafficking at the Superbowl and sporting events here:

http://national.deseretnews.com/article/3412/the-super-bowl-is-the-largest-human-trafficking-event-in-the-country.html

These are great examples advertising the prevalence of these problems, and this resource gives great indicators to look for in troubled individuals.

http://www.savinginnocence.org/what-we-do/prevent/get-trained/

But Jenna’s article is one of hope.  And that’s what I would like to share as well.  There is an epidemic of human trafficking in the world today, and while it may not bear the name slavery, that is essentially what it is.  But we can eradicate it, through fair business practices and models and educating our children and the youth we are responsible for, about what their rights are and what things they should look out for in friends and strangers.

This is my first foray into such a sensitive subject, but I believe that is we promote the causes of such practices and work together to find solutions: like giving our children more information and  encouraging their personal self-development, these issues may become less of a worry.

Jenna Elfman’s article was originally composed for: http://www.whosay.com/articles/13254-jenna-elfman-the-unthinkable-is-happening-in-our-own-backyard