Celebrate January Awareness Months and Causes

 

January brings us many important health awareness months, cause campaigns and celebrations. Healthy observances include: Cervical Cancer Screening Month; Thyroid Disease Awareness Month and National Health Awareness Month for Blood Donor Awareness;  Birth Defects Awareness, and Glaucoma Awareness. Celebrate January’s causes: National Slavery and Human Trafficking Month, National Mentoring Month and National Soup Month.

National Awareness Days include: Human Trafficking Awareness Day on the 11th; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is the 16th; Handwriting Day on the 23rd; Complement Day on the 24th and Inspire Your Heart with Art Day on the 31st.

 

Socially Sparked News Spotlight:

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month

It is slavery in the modern age. Every year thousands of people, mainly women and children, are exploited by criminals who use them for forced labor or the sex trade. No country is immune. Almost all play a part, either as a source of trafficked people, transit point or destination. — United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

Human Trafficking Awareness History

  • The most common form of human trafficking is sexual exploitation, accounting for 79% of human trafficking victims. These victims of sexual exploitation are predominantly women and girls.
  • According to UNICEF, 2 million children are estimated to be trafficking victims of sex trade each year. 20% of traffic victims are children.
  • The average age of a girl being forced into the US domestic sex slavery market is 13.
  • The average cost of a slave around the world is $90.

Human Trafficking Awareness – Show Support this Month

There are lots of ways to show support. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

  • She Has a NameTalk to children about stranger danger and have them memorize important addresses and phone numbers.
  • Save 888-373-7888 to your phone.  This is the number to the National Human Trafficking Resources Hotline.
  • Make a donation to an organization fighting human trafficking such as Polaris Project or to a local organization in your town/city.
  • Watch a movie or attend a play about human trafficking. Our picks: Film: She Has A Name (based on Andrew Kooman’s play, released 12/2/16 in limited release; Off-Broadway Play: She Has A Name, Ripple Effect Artists‘ production of Andrew Kooman’s play, debuts in NYC this month at Elektra Theatre.

This January is Cervical Cancer Month

The United States Congress designated January as Cervical Health Awareness Month. Nearly 13,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, but the disease is virtually always preventable with vaccination and appropriate screening (Pap and HPV tests). Here’s one of many organizations that offer ways to raise awareness this month.

 

National Cervical Cancer Coaltion

The National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) is ASHA’s program to help women, family members and caregivers cope effectively with the personal issues related to cervical cancer and HPV. ASHA and NCCC advocate for cervical health in all women by promoting prevention through education about early vaccination, Pap testing and HPV testing when recommended.

You can help NCCC promote the importance of cervical health and cervical cancer prevention by sharing prevention messages throughout the month. Join their Cervical Health Month Thunderclap campaign (all you have to do is click) to help shout out that cervical cancer is preventable!

Click the link to find a local chapter in your city and events you can support this month. Local Events 

There truly are so many wonderful health awareness month and cause campaigns in January. –Abbe Sparks is Socially Sparked! @sosparksnews