Bra drive helps world’s sex-trafficking victims

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — An unusual donation drive is gaining momentum in Bloomington as part of an effort to help women rescued from sex trafficking reestablish their lives.

The Free The Girls initiative collects gently used bras that are shipped abroad and sold by sex trafficking victims in places including El Salvador, Uganda, Kenya and Mozambique.

Collection centers have been set up in churches, yoga studios, coffee shops and other locations in 23 states and Canada, The Herald-Times reported.

Bloomington High School North senior Morgan Newman has collected about 150 bras since July 7 at Bethel AME Church and says she hopes to get more before her drive ends Aug. 18.

She said she was inspired to join the effort after seeing a CNN documentary called “Free The Girls.”

“I fell in love with the charity,” she said. “It’s so amazing how they can get bras from Colorado all the way to Mozambique.”

Newman’s own collection is part of a broader effort that has brought in more than 130,000 bras from around the world.

Free The Girls aims to help women rescued from prostitution by giving them a way to earn money to improve their lives. The donated bras serve as the starting inventory, and sellers can then buy additional items from Free The Girls.

The organization’s website says secondhand clothing is a profitable market in Third World countries, and bras are particularly sought after.

So far, 21 women have begun selling up to 500 bras a month. Another 73,000 bras were sent to recently to restock their supplies and encourage more vendors to take part.

Newman hopes to contribute 300 bras to the effort, but Bloomington’s contributions could grow beyond that. Two of her friends are making arrangements for a second donation site.