Giving Tuesday comes after Black Friday, in a weary world where millions of people have a hard time coping up with the vagaries of life even as many lead their lives almost immune to the pain of others.
About 21 million people in the world are victims of forced labor, comprising of 11.4 million females and some 9.5 million males, according to International Labour Organization. The forced labor economy generates $150 billion illegal profits per year, and over 4.5 million people are victims of forced sexual exploitation.
A Christian non-profit, Baptist Global Response (BGR) is inviting people to give generously to those who are most in need, mostly with gifts that are of practical use to them, the Christian Examiner reports.
The website catalog describes the rampant problem of sex slavery in South Asia, and the BGR initiatives to provide care for the rescued victims of trafficking.
"Sex trafficking in South Asia is a problem of mind-boggling proportions. One recent study revealed at least 2.5 million people are being prostituted in the region -- many of them children. BGR partners in a major South Asian city are providing a transition home for girls ages 8-18 who have been rescued from brothel slavery. The Courage Home is designed to help girls start on the path of healing and growth for the future by providing holistic aftercare in many areas: physical, emotional, educational, social, relational, and spiritual," reads the catalog. "A $25 donation will provide for a girl with a welcome kit, which includes clothing, hygiene items, and a comforting teddy bear.. $24 covers counseling & medical care for one girl for a month.. $222 gives one girl education (life-skills, literacy, government curriculum distance learning) & legal assistance for six months.." and so on.
Another catalog recounts the story of a woman who worked as a domestic slave since she was a child.
"Bornali became a domestic slave at the age of 5," the BGR catalog says. "Her masters forced her to work from sunrise until late at night. When she didn't please her owners, they often tied her to a window or in a bag and beat her. After about six years, she escaped. Your donations supported a home where she could go. Give so other girls can find safety."
A variety of gifts that have real-life application in the lives of millions of people living in hard conditions are up for charitable sale on BGR website, which range from a sewing kit to help a woman support her family to infant formulae for children of AIDS patients to providing a new home for a disaster-victim family to buying poultry animals for rural population.
Gifts designed to aid refugees fleeing the Syrian and Iraq crisis are also displayed on the website, which can be used to cover for harsh weather at the camps, as well as to feed and clothe them.
Giving Tuesday is a special day which serves as a reminder to think about others and to meet other people's needs.
It has been 4 years since the day was inaugurated by a non-profit 92nd Street Y, and is celebrated as an occasion to remember others after Thanksgiving.
About $46 million donations were generated on Giving Tuesday in 2014, according to NBC news, which led to a 470 percent increase in the online donations to non-profits since 2012.
