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The Dustbowl turned into a venue for activism and justice Saturday as students gathered in an effort to aid victims of human trafficking. The event, Race for Rights, raised money for victims as participants walked and even ran around the perimeter of the famous route throughout the day.
The Vietnamese Students Association (VSA) organized the fundraising walk, which became a day of creating awareness, encouragement, and fun.
The event kicked off with an address by keynote speaker, Rev. Peter Nguyen Van Hung, executive director of the Vietnamese Migrant Workers and Brides office in Taiwan and founding member of the grassroots organization, VietACT (Vietnamese Alliance to Combat Trafficking).
He described the issue of human trafficking as "a chronic disease" and spurred the spirit of the walk. "We are here today first to seek each other - we have to work, walk, fight together - to fight this chronic disease," said Hung.
Participants partook in a number of activities, which demonstrated their devotion to the cause to end human trafficking.
Each team of walkers had at least one member from their team on the track at all times, while other teammates wrote letters and cards of encouragement to victims and viewed a documentary about the issues of human exploitation.
Participants were also able to cool themselves from the sun with a water balloon toss that took place midway through the event. Walkers raised money through donations and sponsors which, went to VietACT.
The VSA e-board provided incentives for teams to raise the most money by offering prizes such as cutting off a chunk of the vice president's long hair and throwing a pie of whipped cream in the face of the future co-president - all in good fun.
VSA worked closely with VietACT to organize the event, which shed more light on the issues of human trafficking. The organization is dedicated to eradicating the existence of human trafficking and educating and supporting Vietnamese victims. According to VietACT, human trafficking is translated as modern day slavery.
There are about 600,000 to 800,000 people - mostly women and children - who are exploited every year across national borders and are forced into labor or sexual exploitation. Workers are forced to work 14 to 16 hours per day with one third the pay of a normal salary. Others, especially women and children, are sold as sexual objects, abused, and raped.
"This is not only about injustice. It is about selling people and making [them into] slaves," said Hung.
The Vietnamese government is well aware of the issues that exist within its borders, said Hung, yet have not taken any action in persecuting the criminals or protecting its people.
Hung has established shelters through the Vietnamese Migrant Workers and Brides Office in Taiwan to provide a haven for victims and bring them back to their legal stages.
"We get [the victims] back their rights," said Hung. "We find the people who have been sold to different brokers and employers and bring them to the shelters. We educate them about their rights, transfer them to legal employers, contact their families, and bring them back to Vietnam where they are safe."
Hung is known as a hero of anti-trafficking by the U.S. Department of State. He has lobbied his concerns in Washington, D.C. and has raised the dire need for U.S. intervention in Vietnam.
"The Vietnamese government does not care [about the issue]. We have to raise awareness in Vietnam and in our government. The U.S. has paid attention to the problem … but it is still a very big problem," said Hung.
He sees the importance of student involvement to eradicate the problem of modern slavery, citing awareness as the key component to eliminating human trafficking. Students must raise the issue with other students and educate them on the fact that it is still a prevalent and impending issue. They also need to lobby representatives and voice their concerns so that the representatives can speak on their behalf.
Annie Le, VSA vice president and LSOE '07, shared the same thoughts: "We did [the walk] to raise awareness about the issues. The more people that are aware, the more we can do to stop it," said Le.
The issue of human exploitation in Vietnam especially hit home for Le because of her Vietnamese background. "It's happening in Vietnam where my parents are from. We want to help in whatever way we can," she said.
Others saw the fundraiser as a way to share with those who are underprivileged and fight against injustice.
"It's a great way to give back and to show God's love. It's touching the Vietnamese community and hopefully we can reach out to touch others in the world. By participating in something like this, not only can we appreciate what we have but we can also use what we have," said Thaian Pham, A&S '09.
"We are all here for social justice - [we are] one under the same cause. It's a great way to be more involved with the school and to serve the cause together," said Annie Park, CSOM '08.
The event closed with a united two-lap walk around the Dustbowl.
"We will go one more mile, two more miles, three more miles to stop the trafficking of our mothers and our sisters," said Hung.
He led the crowd in a very straightforward yet important chant:
"Say no to human trafficking. No, no, no." He could only hope that others would say the same.
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