The Alliance to End Human Trafficking
Thursday, November 14, 2019
U.S. Capitol, Washington D.C.
On Thursday, November 14, 2019, AAFSW was invited to participate in the activities of the Alliance to End Human Trafficking that took place at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C.
The Alliance to End Human Trafficking is a dedicated group of concerned citizens, survivors, dignitaries, law enforcement and organizations in the United States and Mexico joining forces with Members of Congress, working to end human trafficking and modern day slavery and committed to the basic cause of raising awareness, educating and providing solutions.
The founding Alliance to End Human Trafficking Members discussed all the ramifications of the international human trafficking and human slavery issues “Human trafficking is a human issue, created, perpetuated, and ignored by humans,” said Erin Andrews, the Executive Director and Director of Policy of FAIR Girls, which provides intervention and holistic care to survivors of human trafficking through education and advocacy. “There is no such thing as a child prostitute,” Erin Andrews added. Representative Jim Costa emphasized that “one life trafficked is too many” while Representative Chip Roy (attached photo) mentioned that “many times crossing the border illegally overlaps with acts of human trafficking.”
Jaco Booyens, the director and filmmaker of “8 Days” explained that his sister was being trafficked for six years. There is “force, fraud, and coercion that lead to prostitution and human trafficking.” If there is demand on the internet, human trafficking will never end.
AAFSW hosted an event on “Human trafficking — Innocents at Risk” on October 10, 2019 at the Department of State, so its members are aware of this sensitive issue. The Alliance to End Human Trafficking has asked AAFSW to join forces, where possible, to combat this contemporary problem.
“Genius is in the Idea; Impact is in the Action”
Joanna Athanasopoulos Owen, PhD
AAFSW President