Human Trafficking Awareness Month
January was first declared as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in 2010. Since then, January has been a time to acknowledge those experiencing enslavement and those who have escaped. Although slavery is commonly thought to be a thing of the past, human traffickers generate hundreds of billions of dollars in profits by trapping millions of people in horrific situations around the world, including here in the U.S. Traffickers use violence, threats, deception, debt bondage, and other manipulative tactics to force people to engage in commercial sex or to provide labor or services against their will.
YWCA Dayton is accredited by the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence as the only rape crisis center serving Montgomery and Preble counties. Our 24/7 crisis hotline has served human trafficking and sexual assault survivors since it began in 1977, and is the longest-running such hotline in the Miami Valley. In addition to a full slate of clinical and supportive shelter services, YW has advocated for the health and safety of women since its founding in 1870, with our first foray into ending gender-based violence happening in 1886, when we petitioned the Ohio General Assembly asking for “better legal protection for women against assault.”
HTAM Activities & Resources
January 1-31, 2022
All month long, join us in painting the town blue to honor those who have survived sexual violence and prevent future abuse. Whether you’re swapping your porch light for a blue bulb, donning your bluest sweater, or helping us decorate thoroughfares in Montgomery and Preble counties, it all helps to raise awareness and show survivors they are not alone. Each of our voices is powerful; together, our message is life-changing for the women and families we serve 24/7/365.
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL APRIL 2022.
New date to come soon!
YWCA Dayton is accredited as the only rape crisis center in Montgomery and Preble counties and operates our region’s longest-running 24-hour, year-round crisis hotline: 937-222-SAFE. All services are free and confidential. Visit www.ywcadayton.org/support to learn more.
Support Groups:
Trained crisis support staff from YWCA Dayton hold several different community support groups for anyone affected by sexual violence: survivors, family, friends, and/or loved ones. Groups are free and confidential and facilitated by trained, trauma-informed, confidential advocates.
Bi-monthly sexual assault support groups are held in partnership with Womanline on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 6:30-7:45 p.m. Held virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. Groups are private; email crisis@ywcadayton.org to join.
Weekly online group chats for sexual assault survivors, friends/family of survivors, and those seeking information and resources about sexual health are held in partnership with RAINN per the schedule below. Follow link below to join. HelpRoom is an anonymous, confidential online group chat option that allows those who have been affected by sexual violence to connect with one another. Trained staff facilitate these group discussions to ensure a safe environment for all visitors.
- Survivors of Sexual Assault Support Group
- Mondays @ 10-11 a.m.
- LGBTQIA+ Identifying Survivors Support Group
- Tuesdays @ 10-11 a.m.
- Friends and Families of Survivors Support Group
- Fridays @ 10-11 a.m.
- Sexual Health HelpRoom
- Wednesdays @ 10-11 a.m.
HelpRoom link: https://affiliate.rainn.org/helproom/ywcadayton