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LSU students take on the worldwide fight against human slavery
By Rafaella Cuff
The fact that human slavery still exists boggles the minds of many. After all, with this new century and millennium, who spends their time contemplating slavery when it is a centuries old civil rights problem, and the world is now facing global warming, large-scale terrorism, and a recession?
Few consider human slavery to be an actual issue in the United States; however, that is a naïve assumption. Although slavery has modified its form since the Civil War, it still exists, and many, especially women and children of the low-income demographic, are at high risk.
Tigers Against Trafficking has recently achieved status as a student organization, and its objective is to fight slavery on a local and global scale through educating others, raising money for victims and support groups, and allowing students to use their individual talents and skills to work for freedom. LSU law student Natalie Laborde co-founded the organization with close friends Sarah Kaiser and Jeremy Beyt; however, so many have expressed passion for the cause that the organization is becoming a growing effort.
Laborde gained the passion to create this student organization while working in Sydney, Australia. There, she became more aware of human trafficking and participated in a world research trip which exposed her to the atrocities firsthand.
"One of the many experiences that left a lasting impression on me was being introduced to a 12-year-old girl who had been rescued from a brothel in Phnom Pen, Cambodia," said Laborde. "She was pregnant (11 years old then) at the time the authorities found her, and she delivered the child soon after. When I met her she was carrying the baby on her hip, as if he was her sibling. Her face stays with me always. That trip took me into places I never thought I would go and to be perfectly honest, I saw many things I would almost rather forget exist."
Cambodia is half a world away, so in what scale does slavery exist in the United States? The first thing to consider is that slavery is no longer a southern plantation, antebellum scenario; rather, slavery should be associated with the black market - something underground and tainted. It ranges from the immigrant strawberry field workers in California to a trafficked and abused girl working in that strip club down the road, which you may have never given two thoughts.
A study funded by the Department of Justice claims that approximately 244,000 minors in the U.S. are at risk for sex exploitation and slavery. A recent U.S. government report estimates 14,500 to 17,500 non-U.S. citizens are trafficked over U.S. borders every year.
It is economically abusive, targeting the poor or immigrants with promises of wealth and a positive future. The most common way that slavery exists is through economic control, making a vulnerable person owe a sum of money under so much interest, there is no chance they can pay the debt. Other times, a child is targeted and emotionally kept. Blackmail, physical threats, and drugs are also commonly associated with slavery.
"People don't understand the magnitude and scope of the trafficking industry and how their daily economic transactions contribute to it," Laborde said. "The modern slave trade is a business fueled by demand. Consequently, to some degree we are all part of the problem or part of the solution. We contribute to demand by turning a blind eye to pornography, sex tourism, and forced prostitution or by purchasing products from companies who keep their bottom line under the rest of the market by the use of slave labor."
So what is the goal for LSU's anti-slavery and anti-trafficking organization?
"Ultimately, this whole endeavor is about JUSTICE...making right the wrongs done to countless individuals at whatever capacity that we can, whether it's through our time, our talents, or our finances. That is the heart-beat of Tigers Against Trafficking," added Laborde.
Tigers Against Trafficking is hosting an event to fight sex slavery at the Varsity on Thursday, Oct. 29 starting at 8 p.m. Live music includes Jake Smith, Jason Morant, Leaving Brightside and Winbourne. Tickets can be purchased at tigersagainsttrafficking.com, and all proceeds go toward fighting trafficking.
In addition, anyone who wants to be involved should visit the site and get on the email list or follow the organization on Twitter or Facebook. It is through student involvement and passion that Tigers Against Trafficking can achieve the greatest success.
Originally Published: Issue 819 - October 14, 2009
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