AK's RATK 2017

On October 6th, the ~50 member team of Ride Against Traffick 2017 (RATK) will set out on its 6th annual bike ride across South Korea. I am excited to be joining the team this year as one of the bikers. We aim to raise awareness of and gain ground against the plight of human trafficking in Korea, especially in the ways that it is inextricably tied with the sex industry.

For those who may not be familiar, prostitution in South Korea is illegal and extremely taboo outside of the context in which it occurs, yet it is a normal part of life for an alarmingly large portion of the population. Many of the workers in Korea's sex industry are manipulated, abused, and trapped in a variety of ways – emotionally, financially, physically, socially, etc. Collusion and ambivalence runs deep into the ranks of law enforcement and government.*

Aside from simply raising awareness, RATK also raises funds to support two organizations that use both preventative and restorative approaches for those who are – or are at high risk of – being trapped in the sex industry. All members of RATK 2017 cover their own trip expenses, so 100% of donations will go to the organizations. Thanks for reading.

More information:

Ride Against Traffick - http://www.ratk.org/home

Hope Be Restored - http://www.hopeberestored.org/

Oak Tree Project - http://www.oaktreeproject.com/

Watch the documentary, "Save My Seoul," on Amazon, iTunes, or YouTube.

*I don't mean to paint Korea in an exclusively negative way. It's a great place, but this is one of the country's problems that needs to be addressed.

The Ride Against Traffick is a four day, 550km bike ride from Busan to Seoul intended to raise awareness of the problem of human trafficking in South Korea and to fight it.

Your donations will go to two great organizations who are actively working to combat this modern-day evil: Hope Be Restored, which is one of the leading anti-trafficking ministries in Korea, and Oak Tree Project, which is a scholarship and mentoring program for orphans in Korea. The ride costs are paid completely by the participants and sponsors, so 100% of the money we receive from your donation will go straight to these organizations.

Find out more at our website www.ratk.org.