This month is National Human Trafficking month. People from all around the globe come together to raise awareness for victims of this crime. They unite to fight for these young and old victims who have been reduced to skin and clothes. Here and now is the time to take action, stop talking about the problem roll up your sleeves and do something.

My question: Why? Why do we even bother?

One word: Dream. Allowing someone to be able to dream is a powerful thing. Some victims have slowly stopped dreaming of the day when they will finally have freedom, while others have never dreamed at all. Imagine what it would be like to have no dreams.

Never having feelings, anticipation or wonder for what the future may hold. Never being told that you can be whatever you want to be. Never dreaming. Believing that you are worth nothing but the body you have.

This is why I fight. I fight for these victims to dream. I fight so that they may pursue something with all of their heart knowing that the future holds something that is almost within their reach. They are passionately following after a dream that may make them or break them. I want them to dream like I dream. Learn to no longer accept a life of continuous pain but search for joy.

I fight for young girls to somehow recapture that slight innocence. I fight for them to want something bigger, deeper and meaningful.

For this reason…

I refuse to stay quiet.

I refuse to allow the right to dream be ripped from any one’s clutches.

I refuse to see people in utter pain and do nothing about it.

I refuse to let this crime go unnoticed.

And above all I refuse to stand by while victims are degraded and hated.

My dream is to allow others to dream.

So during National Human Trafficking month I ask you to think about the victims who no longer dream, who instead numb the pain and painstakingly walk their way through life.