#BringBackOurGirls has now been tweeted around the world more than a million times since the abduction of nearly 300 girls from a Nigerian High School. Boko Haram, a group of Islamic fundamentalists raided the school, under the guise of a belief that Western Culture is sinful and that the girls going to school and learning is wrong.

So what exactly is so wrong with educating girls? Well my personal opinion is that in many cultures, there are men who fear women and the power that women have within themselves to facilitate change. They are afraid that once a girls and women become educated, they will no longer be able to hold them hostage with fear. When women have knowledge of the power that they hold within themselves and then together they harness their knowledge, they will change the world. Any country, including the USA that does not fully empower women is losing more than half of its potential.

They are threatening to sell the girls, if they haven’t already and for as little as $12!!. Many news reports are saying that they may have already been taken out of the country. Human sex trafficking is very real and while this incident, while it is being highlighted in the news and it might be happening on the other side of the world, it’s also happening in our own backyard. In fact, Southeast Florida is a hotbed of child sex trafficking. Young girls and boys are abducted every single day and others are being coerced into sex slavery.

However, together, we can bring awareness to this issue and together we can work towards putting an end to it. On Wednesday, May 14, the YWCA of Palm Beach County is hosting a breakfast to bring awareness to the issue of sex trafficking and there will be 2 speakers there who are survivors. Call the YWCA at 561-640-0050 for details and to make you reservation.

It starts with a voice, followed by actions. Join me today and add your voice to #BringBackOurGirls and #RealMenDontBuyGirls