Updated: 7/27 6:38 pm
Millions of people suffer from the shackles of modern day slavery. Now, a local woman is reaching out to offer hope to victims around the world.
Tiffany Wilson shows how fashion is helping promote freedom for former human trafficking victims.
This is a pretty typical townhome with a huge potential for impact. Hundreds of items made with the hands of victims of human trafficking are inside, all sold on a website... stop traffick fashion dot com. Stolen at age six... that's Grace's story. Bon was rescued from a Cambodian brothel. The horrors they suffered represent many others.
"The women have been trapped in the sex trade their whole lives and they don't know how to use scissors."
Emily Hill, Website Founder: "But with help, they can learn to cut and thread a needle. It's taken Srey two years, but now she dreams of opening her own tailor shop."
"The rehabilitation is crucial, so they can go on to lead normal healthy lives and be fully re-integrated back into society and a big portion of the rehabilitation is job skills training. It gives them a sense of productivity and dignity, which they didn't have before."
Emily Hill first became aware of human trafficking during a Miami University trip to Thailand.
"We visited a home for girls who were highly at risk for being trafficked."
That visit changed her life and sparked the idea for stop traffick fashion dot com.
"Stop traffic fashion is all about the hope that's possible through rehabilitation."
Her website sells products made by former slaves. Every t-shirt or accessory she sells earns them money and helps them heal.
"You can really see that their life is turned around and they do have hope."
Hill's trying to attract customers who care about fashion and want to make a difference, and she asked some Cincinnati artists to contribute by designing t-shirts that Cambodian victims create.
David McCoy, Artist: "Prior to her contacting me, I didn't really realize how much of an epidemic that was that thousands of people everyday are held captive."
Now, every sale helps set them free.
"They are becoming part of society in a productive, healthy, happy way."
Emily says she'd love to open a brick and mortar store at some point in the future. Until then, she's keeping all the inventory at home and selling to everyone online. The International Labor Organization estimates 12.3 million people globally are victims of trafficking.
Source: local12.com
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