8 Ways to Shed Light on Human Trafficking This Hanukkah

This evening marks the first night of Hanukkah, a celebration of light and hope. Yet around the world, millions of people still live in the darkness and despair of human trafficking. This Hanukkah, you can shed light on the issue of human trafficking and bring hope to those who suffer in slavery around the world. And you don't even have to leave the house to do it! Here are some suggestions for what you can do to help end human trafficking over the course of eight nights:

Night 1: Talk to your family and friends about human trafficking. Did you know there are more slaves in the world today than ever before? Such a powerful question is a great opener to talking with family and friends about human trafficking. You can get some good introductory information here. Talk with the people you celebrate with about what human trafficking is and what you can do to help fight it.

Night 2: Email, Update, or Tweet what you've learned. For those in your circle who can't be with you on Hanukkah, send an email, social networking update, or Tweet about human trafficking. It could be an insight from last night's discussion, an article, a blog post, a statistic, or anything else that will help inspire folks to action. Simply putting the message out there can do a lot to raise awareness that human trafficking exists, and that we can stop it.

Night 3: Pray for people living in slavery. If you incorporate prayer into your Hanukkah celebration, consider praying for all those living in slavery around the world. It has been thousands of years since the Egyptians enslaved the Jewish people, but the powerful are still exploiting the weak. Today, people of all ethic groups and religions are vulnerable to human trafficking. Consider including them in your prayers.

Night 4:Take Action at Change.org. The End Human Trafficking community at Change.org has a number of online actions you can take to end human trafficking, from preventing child prostitution to buying fair trade goods. You can take action here.

Night 5: Donate to an anti-trafficking organization. Consider making an online donation to an anti-trafficking organization. Some Jewish organizations like Jewish Women International have anti-trafficking programs, as well. Your gift will help light the way for victims recovering from slavery and prevent more people from being enslaved.

Night 6: Write a letter. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, or to a blog site or online news site, about why human trafficking is an important issue to you this time of year. Should modern-day slavery be an issue all Jewish people fight against? What about all people of faith? What can you encourage your community to do to take a stand against human trafficking?

Night 7: Agree to volunteer. Sign up to volunteer at a local anti-trafficking organization. If there isn't one near you, then find out if your synagogue works with populations vulnerable to human trafficking like immigrants, women, and children. You could make a huge difference in someone's life.

Night 8: Plan a fundraiser. Anti-human trafficking organizations are in desperate need of financial support, and a fundraiser helps dollars go further. Use your personal interest and skills you get your community involved. Are you a talented baker or mechanic or aerobics instructor? Think about how your skills can be used to raise money to help human trafficking victims.

There are dozens of ways you can light the way for human trafficking victims this Hanukkah, and these are just eight suggestions. You do have the power to end human trafficking and to give all people living in and at risk for modern-day slavery a brighter future.

Photo credit: scazon