The GIFT Box - Help Unwrap Human Trafficking In 2016

Source: London Olympics 2012 - UN

With each passing year, we see a growth in awareness of the plight of the less fortunate, particularly those suffering at the hands of human traffickers. We’ve written posts about the topic of slavery and Human Rights, but recently we came across the GIFT box project that is currently on view at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York City.

Source: UN GIFT

The United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking and STOP THE TRAFFIK worked together to create the GIFT box to raise awareness of the more than 21 million people forced into labor. The GIFT box project was launched during the London 2012 Olympics.

Since that time, STOP THE TRAFFIK partnered with other organizations and governments to build more GIFT boxes around the globe. To date, its journey has introduced over 55,000 people in approximately 100 locations across 6 countries to the issue of human trafficking.

At this time of year when gift giving is so much a part of the holiday spirit, it seemed fitting to write about it as we close out the year of 2015 to help this effort. The beautifully wrapped GIFT box on the outside reveals the horrors that plague the victims of human trafficking on the inside. The exterior promises a better life, an education, a good job, and a loving relationship, but the interior presents a very different reality.

Source: UN GIFT

Build human rights into the curricula at your school. The Youth for Human Rights website makes it easy to take any of the 30 principles all individuals are entitled to under The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and incorporate them into a learning environment. It offers teachers a wealth of resources that can be easily downloaded to use in the classroom. It also provides short video clips for each of the rights. If your school is has a 1:1 program, we encourage educators to use its free app with students.

Let’s make 2016 the year we all help to unwrap the dreadful truth about human trafficking.

For other resources, please see:

• Blue Heart Campaign To End Human Trafficking
• Teaching The "S" Word: Modern Slavery Resources
• Visualizing The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights
• Products Of Slavery: Teaching The Tough Lesson

The Blue Heart Campaign To End Human Trafficking

Source: UN

While we know many schools are not in session, we felt it important to write about the United Nations’ Blue Heart Campaign on the second World Day Against Trafficking of Humans. The first was on July 30, 2014.

Source: UN

With the growing problem of human trafficking, particularly of women and children, this day hopes to raise awareness of the plight of these victims and to protect their rights.

The Blue Heart Campaign seeks to educate others about the impact of this crime on society by inspiring others to take action through a show of solidarity. We spend a significant amount of time talking with our students about human rights abuses that all too often seem a regular feature on the nightly news. Since the issue of human trafficking can be a sensitive topic, we are always in search of resources that we can use with our learners. The infographics in this post provide visual tools to help.

Source: UN

Last year, we did our own push to make students aware of the International Declaration of Human Rights and what they mean for them. We used the website Youth for Human Rights and watched each of the 30 videos. Our students were surprised by the information and statistics, and in their innocence, they could not fathom these violations happening today. This made a huge difference in their understanding of historical and current issues.

Source: UN

As we get ready to start the school year, we plan to continue to integrate human rights into the conversation, and we hope others do as well.

A Student's Voice For Change

As educators of middle school students, we continue to be inspired by their passion to have a voice in making a difference. This week one of our sixth-grade students did just that. Jack was touched by the motion graphic Sold and the video Youth For Human Rights – No Slavery that he watched on the class blog. He went home and on his own made a Tellagami to help raise awareness about modern slavery and the plight of children. We are pleased to present it here.


Our interdisciplinary unit on immigration just finished. It recounted the full story of immigrants who came to this country, including those who came by choice and others who came by chains. It just so happened to coincide with the United Nations International Day To Abolish Slavery on December 2.

Like so many, our students had no idea of the extent of modern day human trafficking. As a result of the exposure to this issue, many of our kids want to take this on as a mission to help. Learning about this problem transformed their thinking and their drive to do something about it. We could not ask for more as educators.

For more resources on modern slavery, click here.

Teaching The "S" Word: Modern Slavery Resources

Source: Free the Slaves

It’s that time of year when we delight in the spirit of merry-making with family and friends, and when young children anticipate gifts for Hanukkah and Christmas. Like most others, we tend to get caught up in the spirit of the season.

Heading home for the holidays seems a natural part of the winter break from school, and it should be. Yet for many, this is not the case. Today, there are more slaves than in any other period in history, and many of them are children. Modern slavery is the most important human rights issue of our time.

Human trafficking is the third largest criminal industry behind illegal drugs and arms trafficking. The estimated number of modern slaves across the globe is 21 - 30 million. The following video on the Top 10 Facts About The "S" Word produced by Free the Slaves is a powerful motion graphic highlighting the key issues about slavery today.



As educators, we continually look for resources to help our learners realize that slavery is not a thing of the past. Many of the websites featured in this post provide ample material for teachers to use in their classrooms. For example, Free the Slaves also has an interactive map with statistics on slavery by regions around the world. Our students were surprised to see that there are over 14,000 incidents of modern slavery in the United States. It was a real eye-opener for them.

Source: Free the Slaves

Sold is another motion graphic produced by RockPaperInk. It's another excellent resource to use with younger students. Kids know what products are, but when this film makes the point that children are the fastest growing "product" over corn and oil, it hits home. It's hard for them to fathom that not only are these children considered products, but also that many of them are sold more than once.



Each year over 2 million children disappear; that's equivalent to the population of Chicago disappearing. Kids get that. This video is a powerful reminder of the plight of so many, but it gives us hope. This movie is the trailer for the full-length feature film, Sold, adapted from the novel of the same name by Patricia McCormick and scheduled for release in 2014. It's the story of one little girl who makes it out of bondage.

Human trafficking continues to grow at alarming rates across the globe. This brings us to our last resource on modern slavery from Youth for Human Rights, and it is perhaps the most poignant. In it a teacher walks through a museum describing the horrors of slavery in American history, but as she does, pulsating images of modern slavery flash in between as she talks. The ultimate moment is when a young student asks, "Does this still happen today?" The teacher remains speechless. The answer, unfortunately, is yes.


As difficult as it is to talk about the "S" word, it is a necessity. Slavery of Africans to the Americas is part of our history that ended with the Emancipation Proclamation. Sadly, slavery continues today. Let's not make the mistake of thinking it's over, or that it's happening someplace else in the world. As educators, we need to keep the topic of slavery on the front burner. Shining a light on the issue will empower our students to be outspoken about it. The more we develop empathy and concern, the more likely we can help prevent one more silent, invisible child from disappearing in the dark world of human trafficking.

Source: Sold

For other posts on this topic, please see:

• Visualizing the Declaration of Human Rights
• Matchbox Kids, Not Toys - End Slavery
• Products of Slavery: Teaching the Tough Lesson
• Economic Lessons of Modern Slavery

For more resources, please see:

• Not For Sale
• Anti-Slavery
• Free the Slaves
• Youth for Human Rights
• Rights Work
• Human Trafficking Search
• UN International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
• Teaching Slavery: Tips For Tackling Issues In the Classroom

Visualizing The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights

Source: HRAC

We recently stumbled upon this motion graphic on The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights, produced by the Human Rights Action Center (HRAC). We showed it to our students who are currently working on an interdisciplinary project-based learning immigration study. Our approach to the topic of immigration is more than the nostalgic view of Europeans coming through Ellis Island. It is much broader than that. We talk about the painful legacy of Angel Island and the harsh discrimination against the Chinese coming to this country.

The students study immigrant groups from all parts of the world, including the Caribbean and Middle East. We also want our learners to understand the prejudices that different nationalities encountered and that not everyone came by choice.

This video is a powerful reminder of the importance of human rights for all people, and that we all share a role in protecting these rights.



The students' PBL study culminates with a presentation at our annual heritage day assembly in a few weeks, and this year the focus is on the immigrant experience of African Americans in what promises to be a compelling performance of By Choice and By Chains. It's our hope that the passion of these young learners for the rights of others continues to grow as a result of their rich understanding of the topic. The more children become ambassadors to promote peace-making, peace-building, and peace-keeping, the better.

For other related posts, please see:

• The Economic Lessons of Modern Slavery
• Products of Slavery: Teaching the Tough Lesson
• Match Box Kids, Not Toys - End Slavery
• Visualizing the Effects of Peace
• Planting the Seeds of Empathy and Service

The Economic Lessons of Modern Slavery

Source: CNN Freedom Project

As we leave the month of February that honors African American history, we cannot help but be reminded of a shameful period in our country’s past. Slavery and lack of civil rights for all citizens took more than a century to eradicate; yet today, these same human rights violations have reared their ugly heads not just here, but around the world. Women and children are the primary victims of human trafficking. Some families sell their children, some are taken by force, and some just disappear, never to be seen again. Modern slavery has grown into a multi-billion-dollar business, and the perpetrators abound in the most civilized of societies, including the United States.

Source: CNN Freedom Project

The CNN Freedom Project to end modern slavery estimates that between 14,500 to 17,500 human beings are trafficked into the United States annually. The CNN infographics, illustrating the statistics on human trafficking based on 2005 reports from the U.S. State department, are eye-opening. Human trafficking since then has increased staggeringly, based on more recent government reports for 2011.

The infographic from We Are Chapter One also illustrates some startling statistics on human trafficking, including the percentage of suppliers from regions around the world. According to this visualization, approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders, 1.2 million children are part of the slavery industry, and over 50% are under the age of sixteen.

Source: We Are Chapter One

This is not our first post on the issue of modern slavery. We also advocate for teaching our students about the topic across grade levels. Slavery occurs throughout history, beginning with the earliest of civilizations. Unfortunately, it continues today. Bringing the issue into the classroom can be done in an age-appropriate way. The topic is interdisciplinary, from language arts to economics, and many of our students are unaware of it as an industry. We cannot help but think that modern slavery has grown exponentially simply because of supply and demand, and some of the most affluent countries aid this expansion.

Source: Slavery Map

For example, the Slavery Map website seeks to record and display locations of human trafficking across the United States. It asks individuals to report incidents by calling the national trafficking hotline number, so that the proper law enforcement and service providers can be alerted. Incidents are mapped accordingly, and the findings in our country are not flattering.

While our efforts to teach children about a difficult topic seem daunting, the ideas of prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships are not. The website Not For Sale, like Anti-Slavery.org and the Products of Slavery, seeks to raise awareness about enslavement and vulnerable communities. In the age of technology, perhaps we could encourage our colleagues and students to use the Not For Sale app called Free to Work. This app allows individuals to scan product barcodes to find out the story behind how things are made and hopefully not buy these items if slavery was used to produce them.


Free2Work App from Free2Work on Vimeo.

It seems appropriate that this issue needs to be addressed with our students. As teachers, we can empower them to help, so that they can be the change needed to make a difference.

Products of Slavery: Teaching the Tough Lesson

Source: Anti-Slavery

Many students in upper elementary and middle schools associate slavery with the nineteenth-century era of American history when African Americans were forced to work on southern plantation fields. Few know that modern slavery is on the rise at an alarming rate. When we tell them that it is a 32-billion-dollar-plus industry and the average price to purchase a human for slave labor is about $90, they are shocked. In their young minds, it is difficult to grasp the gravity of the situation. To help them visualize the enormity of the problem, we use the interactive Products of Slavery map from the Anti-Slavery organization. Its motto is “today’s fight for tomorrow’s freedom.”

Source: Products of Slavery

The Products of Slavery map shows where products are made by forced or child labor in the top 25 countries around the world. The statistics can be separated to see the distinction between which group provides the most slave labor by clicking the boxes at the top. The map adjusts to reflect the numbers, and the students quickly learn that children make up the majority of slave labor today.

Source: Products of Slavery

The clarity and ease of use make it ideal for working with younger students. With the focus, too, on products, it minimizes the topic to items that are age-appropriate, leaving out the harsher reality of sex trafficking of women and children. The countries and the number of products they produce through slave labor pop up by clicking on the yellow bubbles on the map. Students can then pick from this group to find more detailed information. A new screen opens with a map showing other places this product is produced through slave labor, as well as documented facts, quotes, and links to other resources. The students are touched by the words of so many young children who describe the hardships they face. It is a moving experience for them.

Source: Products of Slavery

Talking to students about modern slavery and helping them visualize the places in the world where it occurs should be part of curricular learning in our schools nationwide. While the United States does not have slave labor, that does not mean Americans do not use products that come from other places or criminally use enslaved help. Last December, the Huffington Post published an article on human slavery with a pointed reminder:

“It's uncomfortable to think of ourselves as employing slaves, but according to the Slavery Footprint, almost all of us do. As we start 2012, the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, it's a good way to educate ourselves and then take action to end slavery once and for all.”

While this seems trite in light of the subject matter, teachers can utilize the Products of Slavery website to integrate lessons on geography. The Anti-Slavery organization also has a poster that can be downloaded for classroom use. Additionally, math lessons could be developed for students with this information.

Please see our earlier post, Matchbox Kids, Not Toys - End Slavery, on this topic. For more information on prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships to monitor and combat the trafficking of human persons, visit the U.S. State Department’s website.

Source: Products of Slavery

Matchbox Kids, Not Toys - End Slavery

Source: BBC

In response to reading a blog post from Cool Cat Teacher Blog to raise awareness about modern day slavery during this holiday season, one thing came to mind, candles. It is not just the significance of candles for the Christian holiday of Christmas, the Jewish holiday of Chanakah, or the African celebration of Kwanza, but also matches. Candles are lit for each of these festivals to mark a special occasion. When we light candles, we often use matches, but how often do we think about where matches come from other than the store? Do most people know that India is one of the largest producers of matches, or that a vast majority of its match making industry is supported by child labor? Well, it is.

Here are just a few simple facts from the website Products of Slavery:

• In one of India's matchbox factories, ten-year-old Kavitha was made to grind a highly combustible mixture, leaving her with permanently blackened hands. Source : UNICEF, 2005, "India: Project Helps Child
• A study carried out in India found that children working in matchbox factories earned the equivalent of just two euros a week for 12 straight hours of work. Source : International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 2006, "India: Economic Boom Masks
• In 2002, as many as 66,000 children, aged between six and 14, were found working in matchbox factories in the Indian city of Silvasi alone. Source : International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, "India: Economic Boom Masks Widespread Child Labour," October 2006, Pg. 2

Source: Child Labor in India

India has a huge child labor problem, and many children as young as six years old work long hours each day for miniscule pay. Many are employed in match factories, as well as in the fireworks industry. Injuries abound, and they are too poor to get treatment for their ailments. Many, too, keep working because they are so poor. According to Legal India, of the 200,000 workers in the labor force in the matchbox industry, experts claim that 35% are children below the age of 14. They are made to work over twelve hours a day, beginning work at around 4:00 a.m., everyday. For an incredible documentary on the subject, watch the video Child Labor in India. It is not for the faint of heart.

So this holiday season as you light candles in celebration, perhaps think about ways to help educate our students to make the world a better place for exploited children and to put an end to slave labor.