Last month, human rights activist Mira Sorvino (@MiraSorvino) was on campus for the annual Andrea Neves and Barton Evans Social Justice Lecture Series. She spoke about the very real problem of modern day slavery, and discussed effective ways that we as individuals can contribute to saving the lives of people caught by the exploits of human traffickers. Noting that the most vulnerable to this are those who are financially unstable, in foster care, homeless or poor, she urged more people--including teachers--to become more aware of the signs and signals of trafficking and what to do to help those who are trapped in these dangerous situations.
mira sorvino, the 2016 speaker for the andrea neves and barton evans social justice lecture series spoke on the issue of human trafficking. the screen displayed her work she did with the cnn project which includes a series of journalistic videos on the global program of modern slavery
Sorvino has been interested in human rights work since she was a child, when her mom became active in the civil rights movement. In college, as a student at Harvard, her major and research looked closely at race relations internationally. As a public figure, celebrity and Academy Award winning actress, she first became active as a spokesperson and activist in the plea for peace in Darfur on behalf of Amnesty International. And now, she is the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Goodwill Ambassador on Human Trafficking. She testifies at the UN often on this issue, speaks publicly on the topic, and travels around the world learning, listening and acting to fight this global problem.
In California and around the world, young girls and women are tricked and trapped into sex trafficking, or imprisoned and forced into household servitude. Often, the raw materials for the goods that we buy are harvested in forced labor conditions, or manufactured in sweatshops, so we can get them cheaply. The true cost of those items is paid for the by slaves who are producing them, without safety or freedom.
A report from the office of California’s attorney general, from mid-2010 to mid-2012, California’s nine regional human trafficking task forces identified 1,277 victims, initiated 2,552 investigations and arrested 1,798 individuals. Of those victims whose country of origin was identified, 72 percent are American. It’s estimated, Brockley says, that over 80 percent suffer from a mental health issue and 86 percent were sexually abused before becoming a trafficking victim. (source)
Sonoma County has formed a task force to deal with the problem of human trafficking in our region. This coalition of 19 local public organizations and non-profits, headed up by the district attorney's office, monitors the problem and strategizes short and long term solutions.
The day after Sorvino's appearance on campus, President Barack Obama signed into law a bill effectively banning American imports of fish caught by forced labor in Southeast Asia, often child slaves forced to work on ships against their will. Most of the fish used for human and pet food is imported, and more needed to be done to prevent abuses in this supply chain. This is one step in a large and complex problem that is rooted in economic systems, supply and demand, money and power. (source)
Individuals can join the fight against the proliferation of human trafficking, by learning the signs of trafficking and knowing what to do when you see them, making informed choices about the things and services we buy and become knowledgeable and caring about the welfare of who made them. Teachers can talk about the problem with students--Teaching Tolerance has some good resources for lesson planning on this topic. And organizations are always needing funding and help, so donations and volunteerism will help support these efforts too.
Tech developers are creating ways to use technology to combat human trafficking too. Oakland-based non-profit Slavery Footprint has created an online survey to measure your 'slavery footprint' and learn more about what you do each day to contribute to the problem, and how lifestyle changes can help reduce your personal or community based contributions to this problem.
