Dressember is 31 days of wearing dresses to raise awareness, as well as money, for human trafficking. Human trafficking exists in every major city in the world. It is estimated that over 35 million people are currently trapped in slavery, 50% of this number being children and 70% being female. The global sex trade is the largest growing criminal organization in the world. This information is sobering, and I can no longer stay silent about it.

I learned of Dressember last December when a friend was participating. As I saw her posts on Instagram with the statistics of sex trafficking not only in the world but also here in the United States I became concerned. I began to hear more about Dressember on several podcasts I subscribe to as well as about the International Justice Mission (IJM), the largest international anti-slavery organization in the world, and the organization that Dressember partners with. I knew for certain after the second podcast that I was participating this December.

The primary reason I am participating in Dressember though is quite personal, and something I have only shared with those close to me. But I believe in the power of vulnerability and have been feeling the urge to share my experience with sexual violence in my writing for the Odyssey. I will do a full post on this later, but the reason I am participating is that I was raped freshman year of college, and the thought of girls just like me and younger being raped daily, or even hourly, physically hurts me. Wearing a dress every day for a month is a very small sacrifice to make if it means even one girl can be rescued.

I am not going to buy any new dresses to complete this challenge, as it is important to me that I don't use this as an excuse to buy things I don't need. As well as the direct correlation between slavery and the clothing industry, that I learned about while researching Dressember. I may thrift a dress (or two) though.

Interested in donating? Each advocate has his (yes men can participate by wearing ties) or her own personal giving page where you can safely donate directly to Dressember. It is easy to think that you cannot make a difference in a global problem. I have thought that before. But through Dressember anyone who owns one dress (or tie) is all you need to stand against sex trafficking. Yes, a dress can change the world and I am excited to see what my dresses can do.

My personal donation page.

If you would like to learn more about the power of a dress watch this TED talk.