Cabrini students stood in solidarity with people all across the country advocating for those who have been affected by human trafficking. For 24 hours beginning at 6:40 p.m. on April 8, and ending at 7 p.m. that following day volunteers in the Cabrini community stood in support of the fight to end human trafficking.
Prior to the scheduled standing times which had designated areas ranging from Xavier Hall to Cav’s Corner, the event kicked off on Tuesday evening with an opening ceremony in the Wolfington Center.
In addition to Cabrini, 80 other schools across the country took part in Stand for Freedom, which is part of the International Justice Mission.
“I was so impressed with everyone involved in the event—I thought it was spectacular,” Katie Cashman, a missioner with the Cabrini Mission Corps and the anti-human trafficking coalition created by the Missionaries of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, titled the Cabrini Action and Advocacy Coalition (CAAC), said. “I hope this was an introduction to teach people that they can play a role in combating human trafficking.”
With 30 million people currently enslaved in the world, 60,000 of which are in the United States, human trafficking raises an annual revenue of up to $32 billion a year, which makes it fall only second to drug trafficking.
The event Stand for Freedom acted as an outlet for students who do not have any prior knowledge of the issue of human trafficking to act in the fight for those who are still suffering.
Cashman hopes that through events such as this one, people are granted the necessary information needed to provide awareness to the fact that human trafficking is still a very current and serious issue.
According to Cashman, aside from education on the topic, being aware of where our products are coming from and having the knowledge to be able to identify a trafficking situation are the main ways to combat human trafficking.
Aside from the obvious voluntary standing that occurred throughout the duration of the event, Cashman also provided opportunities for the community to act against human trafficking. Some of these options included providing individuals with the human trafficking hotline phone number, statistics on its severity and chances to donate to local organizations that work for human trafficking victims.
Since her work with Cabrini is limited to only one school year, Cashman is hoping that current students involved with CAAC will continue with her passion in working to end human trafficking.
