You Can’t Turn the Channel on Human Trafficking - Take a Stand, Say Enough is Enough! Residents Shine a light on Human Trafficking in the OC at Vanguard Candle Light Vigil.

OC 1/11: The candle flames warmed hands and hearts as we gathered in the evening cooled chapel court yard on the Costa Mesa, California campus of Vanguard University, January 11, 2010, to reflect on where we are in our journey to Stop Human Trafficking in Orange County and the waters yet to be navigated to stop it locally and globally.

Carol A. Taylor, President of Vanguard University, lead the opening of the National Human Trafficking Awareness Day OC 1/11 Candle Light Vigil sharing Vanguard’s commitment to raise awareness and stop trafficking. The Center for Women’s Studies uses the R.E.A.C.H. approach (Research, Education, Advocacy, Collaboration, Hope) calling on everyone to study the issues, be a voice, and to make a difference.

Sandie Morgan, Director of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force, gathered together students, community partners (CSP-Heidi Thi, Salvation Army-Sherri Harris, Soroptimist International of Newport Harbor Area, Life2Free, Saddleback Church-Kay Warren, and others), law enforcement (ICE), educators, and residents of Orange County to raise awareness of Human Trafficking and to ignite commitments to stop Human Trafficking. An I.C.E. law enforcement officer, Students and Community Partners shared stories of trafficking situations, and of rescue and recovery of victims in Orange County, with over 80 people rescued since 2003, and 35 people in various stages of recovery in the support system in Orange County today. They encouraged everyone to bring their individual voices and talents to end slavery, and to report concerns to 1-888-3737-888, the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Kay Warren, of Saddleback Church, led the closing reflections. She affirmed Human Trafficking is an uncomfortable topic for many of us, we may wish we could “just turn the channel” but that will not make it go away. Our resolve needs to be like a strong determined river purging the perpetrators (the traffickers) so we can shine our light on Human Trafficking and help the victims. We need to say “enough” and stop trafficking.

There is suffering in our community where there is modern day slavery going on in Orange County today. Locally the women of Soroptimist International of Newport Harbor Area, including club member, Sandie Morgan, are working to raise awareness about Human Trafficking to shine the spot light (and candle light), on this modern day slavery to Stop Trafficking. Club President, Wendy Kaiser, and club members Sue Haddock, Rosalinda Lopez, Denise Glass, and Sandie Morgan joined their voices in an impromptu singing of “Amazing Grace,” with the dozens in attendance as they all raised their candles and voices in unity and determination for change.

The lyrics of “Amazing Grace” are believed written in late 1772 by John Newton, a slave trade shipman who became a minister. Newton viewed his mission to “break a hard heart and to heal a broken heart” and he later joined forces with William Wilberforce, British Member of Parliament who led the Parliamentarian campaign to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire, culminating in the Slave Trade Act of 1807. Now, 203 years later we continue our voyage to Stop Slavery, Stop Human Trafficking. Our voices joined into one “sweet sound” to make a difference using our individual talents to be rescue ships for Human Trafficking victims, by educating the public to be aware and to report concerns and seek resources via the National Human Trafficking Hotline 1-888-3737-888 and to be able to say each victim “once was lost, but now am (is) found.” Join to “break a hard heart and to heal a broken heart.” Say enough is enough. Tune in and Stop Human Trafficking.

You can gather more information at the Vanguard Center for Women’s Studies website:

https://www.vanguard.edu/Home/AcademicPrograms/Undergraduate/CWS/tabid/423/Default.aspx

You can learn what Human Trafficking is:

TRAFFICKING: the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion resulting in involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. -Trafficking Victims’ Protection Act of 2000, U.S. Department of Justice

Trafficking of persons is a recurring and significant problem worldwide. While trafficking victims are often found in sweatshops, domestic work, restaurant work, agriculture labor, commercial sex and sex entertainment, they may be found anywhere in the U.S. - or any country for that matter - doing almost anything profitable. – Center for Women’s Studies, Vanguard University website

Visit the Soroptimist website to learn more about how you can make a difference at:

https://www.soroptimist.org/trafficking/trafficking.html

Soroptimist is an international organization for business and professional women who work to improve the lives of women and girls, in local communities and throughout the world. Almost 95,000 Soroptimists in about 120 countries and territories contribute time and financial support to community–based and international projects that benefit women and girls, which includes Stopping Human Trafficking. The name, Soroptimist, means “best for women,” and that’s what the organization strives to achieve. Soroptimists are women at their best, working to help other women to be their best.

888.3737.888

National Human Trafficking Resource Center