“BOUGHT & SOLD” - Minnesota's Faith Community Against Modern Day Slavery

July 31, 2008 - PRLog -- Local churches, service organizations, and other social justice groups will join together to show their solidarity against human trafficking both locally and internationally. The event will take place at St. Paul’s Christos Union Depot from 6-9 pm on September 9, 2008.

The “BOUGHT & SOLD” event is well aligned with the upcoming political elections in which human trafficking is growing as a social justice concern. This event will gather people of faith to hear from three speakers on human trafficking as it affects Minnesotans specifically.

Susan Andringa of International Justice Mission (IJM) will speak bringing the experience of IJM’s international work to rescue modern day slaves around the world.

Richard Wexler, state director of the Not For Sale Campaign for Minnesota, will review activism by both local and national groups in our area against trafficking.

Vednita Carter, director of Breaking Free, will discuss the local Minnesota trafficking industry. The tragedy of sexual exploitation in the state along with the inadequate resources to combat this issue will both raise awareness on the issue and call the community to arms.

In addition, several churches and other local organizations will be in attendance to show their unified support against human trafficking. Information booths will provide access to today’s abolitionist movement for attendees to rally behind and join in the battle. Specifically, the Civil Society and Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center in addition to Breaking Free will share their work on fighting trafficking directly within the state of Minnesota.

Musical entertainment for the event will be provided by Sarah Notley (www.sarahnotley.com). Notley composed a song against trafficking after learning about the horrors of slavery in our modern day. A local artist and activist, Notley will also offer CDs of her music for sale at the event. All proceeds will go to supporting local anti-trafficking organizations. Justice North, a team of local volunteers, is serving as event chairpersons, and has mobilized local community leaders in order to raise awareness and fight the insurgence of trafficking in our state.

Registration for the events is $10 per person, which includes admission and a light appetizer buffet.  For more information about this event and to register online, visit www.justicenorth.org.

To book an interview with a Justice North representative, please contact Kasii May or Tokunbo Okanla at (612)501-9784.

Modern Day Slavery IN Minnesota

Human Trafficking has become an intolerable concern in the United States and the state of Minnesota. Conservative estimates suggest that between 14,500 to 17,500 persons are trafficked into the United States each year (US Department of State). Meanwhile, domestic trafficking is an ongoing tragedy with estimates of over 100,000 minors victimized each year in the United States (Shared Hope International). In Minnesota, there were a total of 3,989 trafficking and prostitution related charges, with 1,790 convictions in the period 2003-2006. (MN Dept of Public Safety). While this number alone is a concern, experts in the field believe many more victims remain unreported. The 2003 Innocence Lost National Initiative targeted the Twin Cities as one of 13 cities targeted as a high intensity trafficking area.

Trafficking victims in Minnesota have been identified from all over the state, the country and the world. Domestically, victims of labor and sex trafficking have been reported from both rural and urban Minnesota and a variety of states, including Wisconsin, Nevada, Texas, Arizona, Illinois, California, New York and Texas. International victims have come from all across the world, including Mexico, Vietnam, Russian, the Ukraine, China, Laos, Saudi Arabia, a variety of African and Central American countries, Thailand and Venezuela.
(MN Dept of Public Safety)



About Justice North

Justice North is a faith-based organization mobilizing local communities to join the global movement to abolish human trafficking by providing awareness, education, and opportunities to advocate in the state of Minnesota.

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Justice North is a faith-based organization mobilizing local communities to join the global movement to abolish human trafficking by providing awareness, education, and opportunities to advocate in the state of Minnesota.