Marla Jones, Managing Editor
FYFE, Ala.-- Fyffe educator, Kendall Durham wanted to make her students at Fyffe aware of the dangers in our area and the signs of Human Trafficking. Human Trafficking just doesn't occur in large cities, it is happening in small towns across the United States.
Human Trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labor, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploration. Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide, including right here in the United States.
This year Fyffe students decided to have a school-wide fundraiser to raise money for an organization that is one of the only Human Trafficking organizations in the State of Alabama, The WellHouse. In January, the organization was honored by the Department of Homeland Security with the first-ever DGS Secretary Award for fighting human trafficking.
Alice Circle, in Fort Payne, designed a shirt to align with the national END IT movement. Students at Fyffe raised over $300 to send directly to The WellHouse.
The WellHouse is a safe haven for female victims of human trafficking. They provide recovery programs for sexually exploited women and emergency shelter and social services for those in need.
In 2021, the facility aided in over 550 victim recoveries and provided 8,653 nights of safety. The Well House in Birmingham also has a national hotline for victims that is answered by WellHouse staff 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The WellHouse also provides many services for the victims including immediate shelter for rescued victims to find solace, safety, and a place to begin healing. A trauma center for the new rescues is provided as they enter the program. The WellHouse also offers an empowering, long-term recovery program for human trafficking victims. The program also gives the victims the next step to independence with a transitional living apartment community for WellHouse program graduates.
Fyffe joins many school systems in the United States in the END IT campaign.
