December 2017 Featured Interview |
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Interview with
Blythe Hill
Founder & CEO of the Dressember Foundation
Photo credit: Jordan Sabolick
About Blythe:
Blythe Hill is CEO and founder of the Dressember Foundation, a non-profit organization which raises awareness and holds an annual worldwide campaign to aid in the fight against human sex trafficking. Blythe was determined to try to help victims of the human slave trade after hearing about this underground criminal world during her college years. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Fullerton and continued her education there, receiving a master’s degree in English in 2011. She has worked as a writer, editor and photographer in both the publishing industry and the fashion industry before becoming the full-time CEO of Dressember. Each December, Dressember’s global campaign is symbolized by women wearing dresses throughout the month in solidarity and support of the victims of the human sex trafficking trade. (Please note that men can also participate.) The effort is intended to raise awareness and funding as well as to advocate for the dignity of all people. Dressember is a grantmaking foundation which collaborates with other organizations to educate the public and to help rescued victims reclaim their lives. The organization has raised over three million dollars since 2013.
Click HERE if you would like to help raise money for this year’s campaign.
Blythe Hill is CEO and founder of the Dressember Foundation, a non-profit organization which raises awareness and holds an annual worldwide campaign to aid in the fight against human sex trafficking. Blythe was determined to try to help victims of the human slave trade after hearing about this underground criminal world during her college years. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Fullerton and continued her education there, receiving a master’s degree in English in 2011. She has worked as a writer, editor and photographer in both the publishing industry and the fashion industry before becoming the full-time CEO of Dressember. Each December, Dressember’s global campaign is symbolized by women wearing dresses throughout the month in solidarity and support of the victims of the human sex trafficking trade. (Please note that men can also participate.) The effort is intended to raise awareness and funding as well as to advocate for the dignity of all people. Dressember is a grantmaking foundation which collaborates with other organizations to educate the public and to help rescued victims reclaim their lives. The organization has raised over three million dollars since 2013.
Click HERE if you would like to help raise money for this year’s campaign.
Myrna Beth Haskell, managing editor, spoke with Blythe about her personal story, how Dressember has grown in the last several years and her plans for the foundation’s future.
I’ve read that trafficking women and children for sexual exploitation is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. However, it is not something that is readily talked about. What made you interested in advocating for victims of the human sex trafficking trade?
I’ve read that trafficking women and children for sexual exploitation is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. However, it is not something that is readily talked about. What made you interested in advocating for victims of the human sex trafficking trade?
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I learned about these atrocities in 2005 while I was in college. I thought slavery was a thing of the past, but it is not only still happening, it’s thriving. Millions of women and girls wake up to this nightmare on a daily basis.*
I felt this personal sense of urgency, probably because of my past. When I was four years old, I was molested by someone I trusted. It took years for me to process what had happened and to start to heal. There is intense trauma when innocence is taken away. Sex abuse wreaks prolonged havoc in a little girl’s life. I knew I had to try to do something to help other girls who had been victimized around the world. *U.S. Department of State Definition: Human trafficking is defined as “sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age; or the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.” |
Blythe talks about her journey in the above video.
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How did wearing a dress become the symbol for Dressember?
In 2009, I actually started wearing a dress every day as a personal style challenge. There was no cause or fundraising behind it. First some of my friends joined in, and then it became something bigger. Surprisingly, it caught on like wildfire. In 2013, I aligned Dressember with anti-trafficking. My desire to help victims of the human slave trade was something I was compelled to do, but I hadn’t figured out how to go about making a difference. Then, it all just fell into place for me. The dress is a charged symbol for people. It’s often perceived as a garment expressing femininity, but we’ve reclaimed the dress as a symbol of freedom and power. It became the unifier of our movement.
In 2009, I actually started wearing a dress every day as a personal style challenge. There was no cause or fundraising behind it. First some of my friends joined in, and then it became something bigger. Surprisingly, it caught on like wildfire. In 2013, I aligned Dressember with anti-trafficking. My desire to help victims of the human slave trade was something I was compelled to do, but I hadn’t figured out how to go about making a difference. Then, it all just fell into place for me. The dress is a charged symbol for people. It’s often perceived as a garment expressing femininity, but we’ve reclaimed the dress as a symbol of freedom and power. It became the unifier of our movement.
Since this started as a personal challenge and became a global movement, could you tell me a bit about the transformation? What kind of assistance did you get in creating the non-profit and was there anything overwhelming about the process?
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Initially, Dressember was growing as a style challenge. People opted in for fun. I had no idea what the actual numbers were, though. I also had no idea if the people who originally did this would want to continue to be a part of it and would feel as passionate as I did to help in any way possible to fight against human slave trade.
I knew I had to come up with a good plan to keep up with the growth. I had to ask for help, so I consulted with people who knew how to go about forming a 501c3. I hired a lawyer and assembled a board of directors and a board of advisors. I also needed grant funding experts who understood the underground, human trafficking industry and were familiar with organizations and groups that were already involved in the fight against it. Currently, I have 7 on my board, 5 advisors, 4 grant advisory committee members, 2 part-time contractors and 35 interns. That first year…we had 1,200 people register from over 30 countries! |
Photo credit: Kara McFarlane
Blythe says: You can participate in Dressember as an individual, but it's more fun as a team! Find a few friends who will do it with you, set a team goal, and create an even bigger impact! |
What are some of the hurdles and obstacles you’ve experienced in this journey?
Human sex trafficking is against the law, but it is not enforced in every country. It’s a crime that affects the poorest people in society. There is a lot of corruption. In some instances, the wealthy perpetrators can pay off the police. Also, a lot of testimony and physical evidence can take years to get to the courts, especially in developing countries.
What groups and organizations do you work with?
We are a grantmaking foundation. We collaborate and develop partnerships with other organizations which are committed to fighting human trafficking and bringing perpetrators to justice. One example is the International Justice Mission, a global organization that protects the poor from violence in the developing world. We work with many other organizations as well. The organizations we work with focus on varied areas of need, such as rescuing victims, training law enforcement officials, holding slave owners accountable, providing safe housing for victims, job training for victims, etc.
Human sex trafficking is against the law, but it is not enforced in every country. It’s a crime that affects the poorest people in society. There is a lot of corruption. In some instances, the wealthy perpetrators can pay off the police. Also, a lot of testimony and physical evidence can take years to get to the courts, especially in developing countries.
What groups and organizations do you work with?
We are a grantmaking foundation. We collaborate and develop partnerships with other organizations which are committed to fighting human trafficking and bringing perpetrators to justice. One example is the International Justice Mission, a global organization that protects the poor from violence in the developing world. We work with many other organizations as well. The organizations we work with focus on varied areas of need, such as rescuing victims, training law enforcement officials, holding slave owners accountable, providing safe housing for victims, job training for victims, etc.
Have you personally met any survivors – those who have escaped the slave trade and have reclaimed their dignity and their lives? What is it about their personal stories that motivates you to move forward?
The day-to-day tasks of running a foundation are not glamorous. Much of what I do entails working out grant processes and similar mundane tasks. However, I visit at least one field office per year, and this brings me back to why I am doing what I’m doing. I’ve been to the offices that handle Greece and Bulgaria and the Dominican Republic and Guatemala. It is sobering to hear victims’ stories. You have to remember that I’m meeting them on the other side of their story- they’ve usually already received trauma therapy or might have seen their perpetrator receive some sort of justice. It’s just mind-boggling…hearing what they’ve gone through…and it drives a desire to do more. It re-energizes me.
What are your future plans for Dressember?
In 2018, we are opening the grant process to more U.S. based organizations. We are hoping to gain 30 more organizations to apply as partnership advocates. We know that these organizations will be onboard if they realize they are helping people in their local community.
**Note: In November 2017, the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center, based in Syracuse, New York, became a grant partner of the Dressember Foundation. This non-profit organization has been serving its local community since doors opened in 2002. They’ve advocated for upwards of 700 abuse victims each year, specifically children.
The day-to-day tasks of running a foundation are not glamorous. Much of what I do entails working out grant processes and similar mundane tasks. However, I visit at least one field office per year, and this brings me back to why I am doing what I’m doing. I’ve been to the offices that handle Greece and Bulgaria and the Dominican Republic and Guatemala. It is sobering to hear victims’ stories. You have to remember that I’m meeting them on the other side of their story- they’ve usually already received trauma therapy or might have seen their perpetrator receive some sort of justice. It’s just mind-boggling…hearing what they’ve gone through…and it drives a desire to do more. It re-energizes me.
What are your future plans for Dressember?
In 2018, we are opening the grant process to more U.S. based organizations. We are hoping to gain 30 more organizations to apply as partnership advocates. We know that these organizations will be onboard if they realize they are helping people in their local community.
**Note: In November 2017, the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center, based in Syracuse, New York, became a grant partner of the Dressember Foundation. This non-profit organization has been serving its local community since doors opened in 2002. They’ve advocated for upwards of 700 abuse victims each year, specifically children.
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You’ve previously worked in the publishing industry as well as in fashion and trend analysis. Are you still working elsewhere or has Dressember become your primary focus?
I started out as…well…I guess you can say as a “volunteer” CEO. I did this for two years. After that, I was working part-time. Just recently, in July, I transitioned to full-time CEO with Dressember. How can our readers help? There are a lot of ways people can help. Readers can spread the word to friends and family or they can share on social media. They can also start their own campaign, or they can donate to a friend’s campaign (see link below to become an advocate and to start a campaign). This is not just for women. I’ve heard that men can get involved as well. Yes. Absolutely! Men can wear a bow tie, a regular tie…or a dress. |
Photo credit: Kara McFarlane
Men can participate, too! |
PLEASE NOTE:
In 2016, a report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), stated, “The vast majority of all human trafficking victims – some 71 per cent – are women and girls and one third are children. Most countries have passed legislation that criminalizes trafficking in persons as a specific offence; many have done so recently.” However, the Global Report shows that there is a relation between how long a country has had proper trafficking legislation on its books, and how many convictions it reports. Countries with longer-standing legislation records, on average, have more convictions. That said, the overall criminal justice response to trafficking in persons, which has historically been very weak, has not improved significantly.
In 2016, a report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), stated, “The vast majority of all human trafficking victims – some 71 per cent – are women and girls and one third are children. Most countries have passed legislation that criminalizes trafficking in persons as a specific offence; many have done so recently.” However, the Global Report shows that there is a relation between how long a country has had proper trafficking legislation on its books, and how many convictions it reports. Countries with longer-standing legislation records, on average, have more convictions. That said, the overall criminal justice response to trafficking in persons, which has historically been very weak, has not improved significantly.
Photo credit: Jordan Sabolick
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Click above image for Dressember Foundation website
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