by
Lauren Wesche & Marie Hildreth
Human trafficking, modern day slavery- ugly words for a dark crime.
According to the books, the Civil War ended in 1865 causing the abolition of
slavery and all the men, women, and children were set free. More than 150
years later there are more slaves than there have ever been in human
history.
Now the fastest growing crime in the 21st Century, every country in the
world is faced with the threat of modern day slavery. 45,000-50,000 people
are trafficked into the U.S. alone each year. Astonishingly, one half of the
slaves around the world are children. Even though this heinous crime is
illegal in every country, all 50 states in the U.S. have reported multiple
trafficking cases.
A group in action called Not For Sale is working day by day, city by city to
lower these heart wrenching statistics and inform people all around the
globe about the victims of this crime and how to set them free. Not For Sale
began as an awareness campaign, formed by two women from the Denver area.
This organization, now also an engagement campaign, works locally,
nationally, and internationally. Some of the ideas generated by this
dedicated group of freedom-fighters include:
· Stressing the use of fair trade products
· Developing a shelter in Colorado for women under the age of 18 who have
been rescued from slavery
· Setting up scholarships to help former slaves move forward
One of the projects that Not For Sale is working towards is the Mile High
Petition. For this project, Not For Sale is collecting as many sheets of
petitions as needed to stretch a mile and present to the Colorado State
Legislature. With this project they are hoping to make Colorado a human
trafficking free state and to pass new laws to make that happen.
So what can an individual community do to make a difference? On April 30th a
group of concerned Loveland citizens held a meeting at Trinity Lutheran
Church to discuss this very question. Pam Harvey, the Colorado Director of
the Not For Sale Campaign and Loveland s Barbara Linder directed the
meeting towards forming a local chapter of the Not For Sale Campaign. To
help reach their goals, the group brainstormed ideas. Initially, they plan
to host a 4th of July kickoff event to increase awareness in the community,
raise funds, and solicit local advertising. The next meeting, open to the
public, will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Loveland on May 21st at
7:00 pm.
Barbara stated that we can get overwhelmed by the problem, but God is at
work through us. Open evil to the light of day to destroy it. They are not
for sale; we are not for sale; no one is for sale.
Contact Information:
· Barbara Linder can be reached at 970-278-1204
· Pam Harvey is willing to speak to groups about the issue of modern day
slavery
More information and how to contact Pam Harvey is available at
www.notforsalecampaign.org