The Crowd: Trafficking in our own backyard
In an age when a supposedly more enlightened and humane world population is witness to broadcast beheadings and other acts of unspeakable barbarism, is it any surprise that human trafficking in the sex and slave trade exists on a global scale?
Is it more shocking to learn that the trade exists in America, and that it is alive here in prosperous, peaceful, on-the-edge-of-paradise Orange County? Just last year, 226 victims of human trafficking were rescued in the O.C.
For thousands of years, the greedy and unscrupulous traders have profited on the sale and abuse of human flesh. Then and now, the trade has been driven and fueled by poverty. Affecting mostly women and young girls, but also imprisoning young boys to a lesser extent, human trafficking has been a last resort for young people on the verge of starvation without hope, without options, without a safety net of family, community or government.
Recently in Orange County, Costa Mesa-based Vanguard University sponsored its annual luncheon titled “More Precious Than Diamonds” under the auspices of the university’s Global Center for Women and Justice (GCWJ). More than 300 advocates joined forces at the Sept. 13 event held in the main ballroom of Newport’s Balboa Bay Resort. More than $75,000 net was raised through fundraiser bidding, which will support local programs impacting education, prevention, training and advocacy — all aimed at halting human trafficking whenever and wherever possible.
The task is daunting, and it is global. Local advocates must face the challenge first on the local level. And that means right here in our own backyard. To that end, the event welcomed Jody Hassett-Sanchez, former journalist with CNN and ABC News. Hassett-Sanchez is now a documentary producer, and she detailed her personal firsthand experience with the tragic consequences of human trafficking in the making of her documentary “Sold: Fighting the New Global Slave Trade.”
Bringing the point home, guest speaker Shyima Hall, a trafficking survivor, advocate and author, shared her heart-stopping experience as a victim. Hall was a child slave, freed at age 12. Where was she held prisoner? She was a child imprisoned in an upscale home in Irvine. The crowd gasped.
Retired journalist and local philanthropist Ed Arnold joined fellow broadcast journalist Maria Hall-Brown of PBS SoCal as emcees for the afternoon. Local advocates in the crowd were lauded for their personal dedication to the cause. Noted citizens were called out as “Diamond Award” winners. They included Diane Cranley from an organization called Talk About Abuse to Liberate Kids (TAALK); Bobbi Dauderman, local advocacy chair for Women of Vision; and Nicole Morris, youth volunteer for the Frederick Douglas Family Initiatives.
Dr. Sandra Morgan, director of Vanguard’s Global Center for Women and Justice, welcomed supporters. Morgan commented, “This event will resource education and training to equip our community with the ability to combat slavery.” Advocates included luncheon guests Congressman Ed Royce, Costa Mesa Councilwoman Wendy Leece, David and Adele Oddo, Jim and Patti Edwards, Nora Jorgensen Johnson, Barbara Bowie, Bill and Ginny Davies, Linda Yellin and Lisa Liberatore, to name only a few.
THE CROWD runs Fridays. B.W. Cook is editor of the Bay Window, the official publication of the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.
