#love146

I know this isn’t what I usually post about, but with schools shut down and businesses closed, I’ve been worrying a lot about the minors and young adults who suddenly have a lot more time on their hands, and I know they’re spending a lot of it online. For human traffickers, this quarantine situation is like shooting fish in a barrel. 

Please, please, please protect yourselves. 

If I could add one more thing to this list of 5 tips, I’d add don’t complain to strangers about your parents, or respond to friend requests or messages from someone new who contacts you after publicly complaining about your parents (actually, don’t publicly complain about your parents at all). I get it. Being a teen is rough, and sometimes you feel like your parents are driving you up the wall.

The thing is, traffickers know that, too, and a common tactic they use is looking for the young people who complain about their family. They act like a “safe” space for you to vent your problems. They validate every feeling and tell you how right you are, how unfair your parents are, and maybe they pretend to be young and talk about how unfair their parents are, too. Sooner or later they drive a psychological wedge between you and your family, make you feel like you can’t trust your parents but you can trust them, and that they’re the only one who loves and understands you while convincing you your parents don’t. Please be wary of people online who try to get you to tell them about your family.

But yeah, also, click on the link above and read the other 5 tips. I promise they’re not as long-winded as me.

My mom sent me this link because we live two hours away from Montgomerey AL and three hours from Birmingham AL and the city we're in is becoming over run with sex trafficking, it's just not very well reported on, unfortunately. Please, please be safe people!! And no matter where you are if you see anything sketchy or suspicious involving someone else, report it and be very aware of your surroundings if you go anywhere. Some people are desperate enough to go after you in the broad daylight so don't just be on guard at night. I hate this is happening.

National Human Trafficking Hotline:

1 (888) 373-7888

SMS:

233733 (text "HELP" or "INFO")

Hours: 24hrs, 7 days a week

We have a winner of the charity poll! All money that we collect with this zine goes to LOVE146

...they’ll put you in a box to put you on a shelf, hoping you’ll be picked before your expiration date. But your soul is not damaged goods. -- You will not be bought and sold at a discount. Don’t count your past against you. A few mistakes just gives your skin that human hue -- that hue that says, ‘I have been put into dark places and did not stay there.’ So don’t dance in their dark rooms. Don’t pose for their cameras. Because your portrait’s worth a thousand words, all more beautiful than the ones you were told. Irreplaceable. Unconquerable. Unstoppable. You might be fractured, but unlike a fraction, you cannot be reduced. 

ALYSIA HARRIS, Love146

Well, we are currently in our first check-in phase. Hopefully all participants of the zine check in! And we will be having contributor spotlights soon after that.

We also received A TON of attention after announcing that we will donate all money to the charity Love146. We are really happy about it and hope that we sell lots of copies!

Be sure to follow us on twitter too (@bfzine)

Stay tuned for more next week.

A “How-To” guide to protect your children

It’s almost guaranteed to be uncomfortable to start – but it’s so important that you press on and have this conversation. Human trafficking can happen at any time, so make sure your child knows the facts as soon as they are able to comprehend the conversation.

https://vimeo.com/309960377

Each parent or caregiver will know best when to have these conversations, but your child won’t be…