The Stand for Freedom event was part of a nationwide movement by the human rights group International Justice Mission.
The event, which began at 8 a.m. Tuesday and ended at 11 a.m. Wednesday, was organized by the McNeese chapter of IJM and was a first for the campus. Participants held signs with statistics about slavery and encouraged passers-by to sign a petition urging President Obama to fight human trafficking.
“Our goal was just to raise awareness and introduce the campus to the new IJM chapter,” Southwest Louisiana IJM representative Rusty Havens said. “I hope people understand the fact that slavery still exists, and it’s our job to do something about it.”
The McNeese IJM has been official for less than a month. Through the campaign, the group attracted 60 new members; raised about $250; and affixed 552 signatures to its petition. Havens said that about 600 people showed up at the event. He said more than 500 universities across the U.S. participated in IJM’s Stand for Freedom.
McNeese IJM President Anna Shamburger said that last year IJM sent a petition to Obama with 75,000 signatures and that this year’s goal is 150,000 signatures.
“Obama has made comments in the past about recommitting our government to fight human trafficking,” she said. “We are asking for him to use his position of authority to lead the U.S. government in a global movement to end slavery.”
The petition asks for the designation of five to 15 focus countries in which to fund and test initiatives to free people in areas of exploitation while reducing human trafficking. It also asks for the formation of a Presidential Fund to Eradicate Slavery.
According to IJM, more than 200,000 people are enslaved in the U.S. In 2011, a state report from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center showed 161 calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline from Louisiana, with seven from Lake Charles. A Shared Hope International Study listed 105 suspected victims of domestic minor sex trafficking in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas during the years 2000-2007.
IJM staff adviser Lindsay LaBove said students need to understand slavery as an issue didn’t end with the Civil War. She said she hopes the organization can make the issue more mainstream and relevant among modern issues.
“We want there to just be an awareness of the types of slavery that exist,” she said. “All over the world people who aren’t getting paid are being forced to do hard labor, and it’s a really sad situation.”
Shamburger said volunteer times ranged from a few minutes to several hours and included a range of volunteers from Mayor Randy Roach to high school students stopping by before their school day started. She said it also became a time of camaraderie.
“I’m hoping the people that stood with us got to see the fruit of their obedience and what they did mean something,” Shamburger said. “The more people who stand up and say, ‘This isn’t right,’ the more other people are going to do it too.”
Online: www.ijm.org; www.facebook.com/McneeseStandForFreedom. (Rick Hickman / American Press) (Rick Hickman / American Press)
