More than 300 participants at the all-day Human Trafficking Awareness Conference (HTAC) learned from some of the nation’s top abolitionists that everyone has a role to play in ending the injustice of human trafficking and exactly how each of them could join the fight.
HTAC was held Oct. 25 at Greenwood Community Church, Greenwood Village, Colorado. Speakers and presenters included The International Justice Mission, Polaris Project, Transitions Global, Love 146, Shared Hope International, Prax(us), United Students Against Sweatshops, Free the Slaves, Not for Sale Campaign, Lutheran Social Services, the FBI and more. Denver Channel 7 News Anchor Bertha Lynn acted as Emcee.“As I walked around that day, spoke with people, heard what the speakers were teaching and what folks were learning, I was thrilled, because our vision was being realized … people were becoming aware of human trafficking, but not just aware, they were becoming equipped to fight it,” remarked Kendis Paris, co-chair of the event and member of Chapter 61 Ministries.
Paris, along with Molly Wolff, her neighbor and fellow anti-slavery activist, each worked 20-30 hours a week for 11 months, organizing and coordinating the event.
Sponsors of the event included; Wellspring Church, Chapter 61 Ministries, the Home Foundation, Colorado Foundation for Families and Children; Teen Challenge; Tony’s Market; and a number of private donors.
International keynote speaker, Larry Martin, senior vice president of International Justice Mission and dean of the International Justice Mission Institute, provided a historical overview of human trafficking and its changing face, contrasting “old slavery” with that of modern-day.
Bradley Miles, deputy director of Polaris Project, gave an up-to-date report on where the issue of human trafficking stands today in America, noting both advances and critical needs in the areas of public awareness, law enforcement training, state law enactment, victim services and prevention.
Local keynote speaker Seth Donovan, founder of Prax(us), a member of the Colorado Network to End Human Trafficking (CoNEHT), addressed the systemic roots of slavery and asked participants to challenge themselves, asking the tough questions about who does their work, where their food comes from and how they may promote slavery through their insulation and comfortable lifestyles.
Before participants separated to attend afternoon workshops, they also listened to a discussion on fair trade issues and took part in a panel discussion with various members of the Colorado law enforcement, legislative and victim services arenas.
A fair trade expo, held in conjunction with the conference, enabled participants to learn more about the importance of exercising consumer power in purchasing products made either without slave labor or by survivors of human trafficking, as they interacted with vendors. Organizations who participated included Ten Thousand Villages, Emily’s Ransom Notes, Yobel Market, Kiowa Valley Organics, Earth Friendly Coffee and Trouble with the Alphabet.
In the registration area, abolitionist groups participating at the conference, along with Dalit Freedom Network, each had a table arrayed with brochures, books and other anti-human trafficking literature and manned by knowledgeable activist and volunteers who helped provide an understanding of the organization and how any individual interested would be able to help with their efforts.
Paris commented, “Both at the conference and since, folks signed up in droves to become part of anti-human trafficking groups; others have offered their services to put on another HTAC; others have said they now know what practical steps they need to take in their own cities and spheres of influence. The speakers themselves were ecstatic with the number of folks in attendance, the incredible feedback and reception they received, and the connections they made. Katherine Chon, co-founder of Polaris Project, commented that although she’s immersed in human trafficking information all the time, even she learned something at this conference. ”
Afternoon workshops ran the gamut from a First Responder session, presented by the FBI, to aid in the identification and assistance of human trafficking victims to Human Trafficking - Partnering with Faith Based Communities. In the latter workshop, Phil Gazley of World Advocates encouraged advocacy and activity from a faith-based perspective and the formation of faith based alliances was also discussed.
One of the most popular workshops was Successfully Empowering Sex Trafficking Survivors, led by James Pond, founder and executive director of Transitions Global. Transitions Global (TG) currently provides transitional aftercare to sex trafficking survivors in Cambodia, with partnered projects Greece and Indonesia. Considered one of most successful models in the world for providing holistic aftercare for victims of human trafficking, the United States government began working with Transitions Global to develop a domestic aftercare model for the 300,000 young people trafficked yearly in the United States for commercial sex. Therefore as of 2009, Transitions Global will also open a Transitional Living Center in Portland, Oregon for minor sex trafficking victims here in the U.S.
Pond explained that for every person rescued from slavery, there needs to be a highly effective model for survivor protection, rehabilitation, and sustainability. The workshop focused on the success of Transitional Living Centers for survivors of sex trafficking and addressed therapy approaches, holistic care, victim’s needs, security issues, risks and the need for career training that can provide sustainable incomes.
He covered the difficulties of providing aftercare, not the least of which is working 16-18 hour days, dealing with victims who are more like “grizzly bears than koalas” after what they’ve been through, the survivors’ emotional and physical issues can include post traumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorders and dissociation, sex-transmitted diseases, infections, fibromyalgia and nutritional deficiencies.
The conference ended on a high note with ‘Stories of Hope’, where presenter James Pond shared the stories of the many young women completing the Transitions Global model who are now on their way to leading successful, empowered lives pursuing careers as office managers, computer operators, UN translators, spokespersons against slavery, and social workers that can help provide aftercare for other human trafficking survivors.
Molly Wolff stated, “Our goal was not only to help educate the common citizen, but to also engage them in the issue of human trafficking. We’re hoping this conference will cause a ripple effect that will lead to a wave of awareness and action in our community.”
“It is my prayer that this conference will have lasting effects on the folks who came … that their hearts will be moved, that their commitment to fighting this gross injustice will not waver, and that as a result of their work, slaves will be freed,” Paris concluded.
Photographs from the conference
