Technology to Change the World

I'm amazed and overjoyed to see web 2.0 technologies popping up that are being used to address human rights and social issues like human trafficking. Any tool that helps people network, exchange ideas and ideally act is empowering. It empowers individuals by exponentially increasing their ability to connect to others and to have a voice. It empowers groups by allowing them to come together and communicate under a common forum.

My personal cause is human trafficking. I have spent the last 10 months traveling around the Philippines on a Fulbright grant researching what non-governmental organizations are doing to combat the issue. My experiences were diverse and powerful and I will carry the memories of this experience with me for the rest of my life. From interviewing social workers who have cared for trafficking survivors for over a decade to celebrating a birthday with a trafficking survivor to interviewing priests, pimps, politicians and sex tourists who all have their unique perspectives on the issue, my hope now is to communicate what I have learned to others, translate that knowledge into action and ultimately create social change.

According to the U.S. State Department, human trafficking victimizes an estimated 800,000 people per year. This does not include local trafficking that occurs within a country's borders. These are just estimates, the real scope of the problem could be far greater.

Current estimates of slaves active in the world today are as high as 27 million (Free the Slaves). This is higher than at the peak of the Transatlantic slave trade. We live in a world where slavery has been relegated to the history books, yet unbeknownst to many is very much alive and flourishing.

It is time to wake up to the reality of human trafficking and put an end to slavery once and for all.

And it is through resources like PulseWire, that empower advocates, activists and the general public, that ending slavery and other injustices around the world will become a reality.

It is time to speak up. It is time to connect. It is time to plan. And most importantly it is time to act.

Thank you PulseWire. Im looking forward to using this invaluable resource to combat modern day slavery.

Beat Down Human Trafficking!

Peace

Justin

*check out my blog @ www.traffickingproject.blogspot.com
*check out songs off my album @ www.myspace.com/traffickingproject