Love146

Do you remember what it was like when you were thirteen? I remember being very confused, both by the insensitivity of the world, and the intense cocktail of emotions that can only come from teenage hormone levels. I remember feeling scared and excited; hurt and optimistic; a hopeless romantic and very alone. And I lived in a middle class Caucasian family in a beautiful Southern California city with a family that loved me more than anything.

Now imagine being a thirteen year old girl in a different part of the world, a part where your mother was your age when she was married and was pregnant with you soon after. A part of the world where the food available to your family is barely enough to feed you, your parents, and your four younger siblings. A part of the world where your mother discovers she is pregnant again, and your parents decide that another mouth to feed just isn’t possible. A part of the world where there is a man, one who offers your family a solution to your problem: for a sum of money that will feed them for months, he will take you off their hands, telling them you’ll have a ‘great job’ in another city. A part of the world where you will instead be sold into sexual slavery, to become a commercial object to join the ranks of over 1.2 million other children in the same predicament. While there, you will be stripped of your name, your innocence, your freedom, your dreams, your LIFE.

It’s overwhelming to think about. It hurts to think about the facts: that two children are sold every 60 seconds, that there are more slaves in circulation in the 21st Century than there were at the height of the American slave trade, and that each and every person that contributes to this staggering number is not a statistic, but a child.
Thankfully, there are ways to help. There is a wonderful organization that is facing this world-wide epidemic head-on. They are called Love146, and are dedicated to the future abolition of this incredible atrocity. Their site, www.love146.org, explains their response: “The complex influences of culture, religion economics and politics require a thoughtful, committed response. Love 146 has initiated two core program areas to combat the issue of child sex slavery and exploitation, Prevention and Aftercare. In addition, Love146 works to grow a body of Research on the issue to enhance the knowledge base for the communities we serve, our partners and our work.” The organization is made up of loving individuals who are committed to bringing an end to the trafficking and exploitation of children worldwide.
In addition to taking donations and offering opportunities to partner with them in their movement, Love146 has some very cool stuff for sale, including shirts, bracelets, pins, and patches. I especially love this tank top:





The word on the left is "Love" written in Khmer script. Khmer is the major language spoken in Cambodia, where many Love146 Asia Prevention projects are located.