What It Fees Like ... To Fight Human Trafficking
St. Joseph Academy junior Kiera Reilly used hotel soap as a way to help women at risk.
A lot of social injustice issues seem far removed from us or very far-fetched, but it’s actually really easy to help.
We made labels with the human trafficking hotline number and put them on the back of soap bars that were distributed to hotels throughout Cleveland, especially keeping in mind the RNC this summer. The only time human trafficking victims might be alone is in the hotel bathrooms, so they can see the soap and hopefully be able to reach the hotline number.
It didn’t take very long — only a few afternoons — and anyone was welcome to join us. I was trying to raise awareness to show how easy it is for teenagers to help with this. I know that most people who are trafficked are women, and a large part of that is teenage girls or younger girls. That was something that made me think, throughout this project, that I was able to help people my own age. I could never imagine going through that.
I love helping people. So being able to volunteer and help people that need it, it makes me feel amazing.
