Partly due to abundant West Mall solicitation, students here at the University are quite cognizant of the various ills that exist in our imperfect world. Face AIDS, Save Darfur and Invisible Children are only some of the multifarious organizations on campus that have become sexy for college students to rally behind.
But (and with all due respect to the students who participate in the above causes), there is one social calamity that does not receive the attention it warrants: human trafficking.
Human trafficking — the coercive and deceptive abduction of individuals, often women, who are then forced to work for little or no compensation — can take many forms and includes various types of prostitution and forced labor.
Those who track trafficking estimate that across the globe, more than 27 million individuals are now living in slavery — more than at any other period in history. In fact, human trafficking is a multibillion dollar industry, with estimated revenues between $9 billion and $32 billion annually — numbers that put human trafficking second only to drug dealing as the largest criminal industry in the world.
While you may think that human trafficking is more of a global issue, it is much more prevalent in the United States than you would think. According to the National Human Rights Center, there are currently about 10,000 forced laborers in the U.S., including domestic servants. It is also estimated that 14,500 to 17,500 people, mainly women and children, are trafficked to the U.S. annually.
Additionally, our great state of Texas serves as the biggest point of illegal entry into the U.S., largely because traffickers are able to move people across the border without documentation. Like most states in the U.S., Texas sees human trafficking in the form of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation.
Thankfully, an organization is dedicated to eradicating human trafficking. The International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that, according to its mission statement, “secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression” with the help of lawyers and investigators who prosecute human trafficking and promote public justice.
While all of this is great, you may be wondering where you can fit in to help exterminate this dreadful and shocking practice.
This week, the Veritas Forum is partnering with several student organizations at UT, including the student chapter of the International Justice Mission, to increase awareness of the global and local reach of human trafficking, specifically the trafficking of children for sex.
Two speakers, Blair Burns and Vinoth Ramachandra, both of whom have firsthand experience with human trafficking, will be on campus speaking at the forum, addressing not only why we should be aware and care but also tangible ways we can get involved.
There is no better time to concern yourself with a great cause than right now. The fight to stop human trafficking needs good people advocating on behalf of innocent victims who are so appallingly being taken advantage of.
If stopping human trafficking is something that you feel passionately about, or if you just want to learn more about the issue, attend the forum tonight at 7 in Hogg Memorial Auditorium.
Earnest is a finance senior.
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