Nancy Kuhuski

“I was protecting my friend…” Jen and her friend had run away together. While on the run, 15-year-old Jen was used for sex, at first to protect her 14-year-old friend from being raped, then sold over and over by those providing them transportation across the country. She had initially run In an attempt to be free from an abusive home and life that felt completely out of control. Jen had done what made perfect sense in her 15-year-old brain… she fled. She thought she was running to find freedom, but arrived on the other side of the country more broken and empty than she thought possible. She couldn’t have anticipated what fleeing would cost her.

Freedom: the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved… In pursuit of freedom, desperate for hope, Jen became a survivor of human sex trafficking. She was rescued and is now back in Washington where she begins the long journey to healing and restoration. Jen was lucky, she was rescued pretty quickly and she did not end up physically dead, although she tells me she feels dead inside.

Jen’s story isn’t unique. I wish it was. She’s just one of many, many girls and women my life has crossed paths with, sharing an all too similar story. When you look worldwide, there are more than 4.5 million people in forced sexual slavery right now… that’s staggering.

If you are anything like me, you feel outrage at the weight of these numbers. How can this possibly be? The reality is ugly, but it also compels me to do something. I can not sit back and allow this to go on, day after day, without taking a stand to do something!

Do what you love to fight what you hate. This was the challenge set before me for the month of February, so here I am, writing about something close to my heart that I am passionate about. Rescue Freedom is an amazing organization doing A LOT to impact survivors of human trafficking both here and around the world. They say, “Everyone can do something to end slavery. YOU can do something to end slavery.”

The question is… will you? There are many ways to do something. I have set a goal to raise $1,000 this month to combat sexual slavery. Will you join me? Will you give up 1 cup of coffee and donate that $5.00 to help set a woman or child free? Will you forgo that movie this weekend and donate that $10.00 to provide the specialized support necessary for healing? Will you choose to invest any amount to give a girl like Jen hope that there is more? If not us, then who? If we don’t answer this call, who will? These are our community members, our neighbors, our family members… Will you answer? You can access my campaign and donate by clicking here Nancy’s Freedom February! Will you please do something to join the fight to end sexual slavery? The Jen’s of our world are counting on you…