The orange-clad freedom marchers also journey to notable sites in today’s fight against human trafficking. They visit The Body Shop and Equal Exchange Cafe, two companies that take special care to rid their supply chains of slave labor and sell products that support jobs and fair wages for individuals who might otherwise be vulnerable to being trafficked.
(Grace Ko/Not for Sale)
The final stop on the walk is the shining gold dome of the State House. Several of the walk participants sign a petition to encourage the Massachusetts government to pass an anti-trafficking bill that is currently under review. According to the Polaris Project, one of the largest anti-trafficking organizations in the United States, Massachusetts is one of just five states that have not passed a bill condemning human trafficking. In a press release dated August 18, 2010, the leaders of the Polaris Project explain, “Although a federal law [against trafficking] exists, the hidden nature of human trafficking requires eyes and ears on the ground, and that calls for complementary state laws.”
The eyes and ears of everyday civilians are required too. Sarah Durfey, the co-director of Not For Sale’s Massachusetts chapter, discovered this as a sophomore at Gordon College when Not For Sale’s president, David Batstone, spoke at her school. He told a story about a young Asian girl whose desperately impoverished family sold her to a wealthy American who claimed he would give her a better life. For five years, she lived with him and his family near Worcester, Massachusetts, doing all the household chores and being raped repeatedly. The man was a well-respected pastor and community leader, so none of the neighbors, church parishioners, or school officials realized that they were encountering human trafficking on a regular basis.
Recalling Batstone’s visit to her college, Durfey said, “I was just blown away by the fact that slavery still existed…I knew I needed to do something.” Audrey McIntosh, a full-time volunteer with Not For Sale Massachusetts, agrees that awareness leads to action. She explains earnestly, “If we bring awareness, we can save lives.”
Not For Sale promotes grassroots activism, encouraging individuals to use their skills, passions, and creativity to fight slavery in their own way. Durfey said that one of her friends raised funds and awareness for the cause by riding his motorcycle from Texas to Death Valley, collecting pledges and spreading the word about slavery. Students have written academic papers meant to influence legislation. Globally conscious organizations have started programs to train law enforcement officers, medical practitioners, shop owners, and others who might unknowingly come into contact with human trafficking. Others have been inspired to rehabilitate Boston-area trafficking survivors through Not For Sale’s Free2Play program, helping these girls experience self-esteem, nutrition, physical fitness, and a healthy body image.
The point is, Durfey said, individuals can be “engaged and involved no matter who (they) are”¦It all links together in the end.” McIntosh acknowledges that people are frequently overwhelmed when they hear about the prevalence of human trafficking, but she is encouraged that more and more people are becoming aware of the issue and contributing however they are able. These modern-day abolitionists are building momentum in the continuing struggle to create a world where human beings are not for sale.
Leave a Reply