By Dave Malone
The other day I attended the movie “Lincoln”—not the one about the vampire slayer, the “real one” about a courageous and thoughtful leader. As I have thought about the difficulties President Lincoln faced in abolishing slavery, I have come to wonder how so many humans could be so cruel to other humans, and, believe they were correct in their behavior. Immediately following that thought, I pondered how so many people of that era could ignore the evils of slavery and do nothing about it? Surely, we of this day and time would be more enlightened, right?
Well, maybe yes and maybe no. The evils of human trafficking (HT) are just now beginning to be recognized as modern-day slavery and starting to be addressed.
Why has it taken so long? And, more importantly, how do we now take effective action?
Myths have existed about human trafficking that are now being dealt with by many non-governmental groups, national, local and international. One such group is the Polaris Project, which is fighting to pass legislation to make it easier to combat HT and, by the establishment of a national hotline (1-888-373-7888), victims or others with knowledge or suspicion of HT can contact the organization for help. Other groups are taking on the issue locally. Law enforcement agencies and Attorney Generals have been ramping up their efforts to understand and combat the evils of sex and labor human trafficking. Even ball players are beginning to join the fight.
But much more needs to be done. Or, as Winston Churchill once said: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps the end of the beginning.” The fact that HT is being recognized as a major issue within the law enforcement community and public alike is an important first step. This is a great beginning that begs for coordination of national and international efforts!
I encourage all who wish to stand up to the atrocities of human trafficking re-read the blog announcing the Let’s Stop Traffick Summit scheduled to take place this year in Ottawa, Ontario on November 14-18, 2013.
The initiative being undertaken at this summit holds great promise towards creating coordinated efforts that can be shared around the world. If you are interested in attending the Together Let’s Stop Traffick summit in Ottawa, you can apply here.
Be among those who are willing to share their successes, suggestions and visions on combatting human trafficking. What’s stopping you?
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