UN Gift Box in NYC

What is the UN GIFT Box?

An innovative project created by STOP THE TRAFFIK and the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) which was launched during the 2012 London Olympics. GIFT boxes are walk-in pieces of public art that people encounter at street level that invite people inside with promises and offers like “Earn more money and support your family.” Once inside visitors are presented with a different reality and exposed to the dangers of human trafficking. The project is currently in Brazil, Slovakia and the United Kingdom and has the potential to roll out into other countries across the world.

The UN Gift Box will remain in Union Square until the end of the Super Bowl (Feb. 2). You can find out more information on their website here: http://www.stopthetraffik.org/united-states

National Human Trafficking Awareness Month

January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. According to the TeachUNICEF website, "Children are trafficked into labor, exploited in mines, or recruited into militias in conflict zones." 27% of victims of human trafficking are children. As a result, TeachUNICEF has released lesson plans for grades 6-8 and 9-12 in order to address and call attention to this serious issue of child trafficking. According to the website, "This topic, which contains mature content, aims to raise awareness about trafficking and encourage students to take their own steps in addressing trafficking."

TeachUNICEF's webpage on Child Trafficking is an excellent resource for teachers and community leaders to work with adolescents and young adults to call attention to the crisis of human trafficking in a manner that is thorough, thought provoking, and appropriate. Here is an example of one of the activity sheets, which you can find directly here:

Access the plethora of teaching resources through TeachUNICEF's website here: http://teachunicef.org/explore/topic/child-trafficking