Walk for Freedom seeks to raise awareness about human trafficking

 

• A21 campaign organizes Walk for Freedom on Oct. 14 to raise awareness about human trafficking.
• Reporting suspicious activity that could be human trafficking could help save a victim.

 

The A21 Campaign’s Walk for Freedom is hoping to bring awareness to human trafficking Oct. 14 at 10 a.m. on Monument Terrance in downtown Lynchburg.

 

Participants will walk through Lynchburg’s downtown as a symbol to locals and ask them to be sharp and vigilant watchdogs of the community, guarding against the ever-present threat of human trafficking in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

 

Sophomore strategic communications major Sophia Williamson organized the walk. Williamson is looking for 200 people who want to change the world to stand with her and march in October.

 

“Lynchburg is a very big hot spot for human trafficking — not necessarily sex trafficking, it’s more like labor,” Williamson said.

 

Eighty-three cases of human trafficking were reported in the first six months of 2017 in Virginia, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. In the Commonwealth, the top places to find someone trafficked is a spa or massage salon.

 

Statistically, only 1 percent of victims are rescued. While Virginia’s reporting rate is seventh in the country, there are still hundreds of unfound, unknown and un-rescued people enslaved in the state, Williamson said.

 

“If you’re aware enough to report it, you could literally save someone’s life,” Williamson said.

 

And that is where the walk comes in. The purpose of A21’s global Walk for Freedom Oct. 14 is to inform communities of the threat of trafficking, hoping to make community members aware of the problem so they can report more cases.

 

“To have the people who are free be able to stand up and say this is wrong … will start a chain reaction,” Williamson said.

 

Williamson recalled a time where a local nail salon was reported to the authorities because a customer felt like the manager was mistreating the nail artists. That call saved five girls who were being trafficked in the salon.

 

“How much does that happen every day around us, and we don’t realize it?” Williamson said. “Awareness is so key, certain people are going to catch things other people aren’t. The more everyone’s aware and joins together in the fight and insists that we don’t want this in our city, and we don’t want this in our town, it will get rid of it.”

 

Williamson’s passion to end modern day slavery started at a young age. When she was in Moldova with her father at a pastor training retreat as a child, she witnessed someone buy an orphaned 3-year-old girl for $25, guaranteeing her freedom from human trafficking.

 

Williamson also recalled that a childhood friend fell into a situation that led to her being exploited for her body in high school.

 

“Just to see where I could have ended up completely blows my mind,” Williamson said.

 

The threat of trafficking looms over everyone’s head because the victims are average citizens. Williamson recalled a time where she got approached at a mall to model for a stranger. At the time, she did not know that she could have been trafficked by that encounter.

 

“I don’t want my kids to grow up in a world where I have to worry about that,” Williamson said. “Like my daughter going to the mall… is she going to have to face that situation?”

 

And while progress is being made, the pressure is on this current generation of college students. Williamson said that, until about five years ago, no one knew what human trafficking was.

 

“Our generation totally has the chance to change that,” Williamson said. “We are leading up to this pinnacle point. We can do this, it’s not completely out of our reach like we were five years ago. I think we’ve made so much progress already.”

 

The walk is free of charge, but donations are encouraged. Those who want to participate can register on A21’s website.

 

To report suspicious activity, call 911 or submit a report on A21’s website.

 

“It’s so personal, it could literally happen to anyone,” Williamson said. “It could be your brother or your sister.”

 

Remember that top reporters are community members, and reporting odd behavior can be the end to someone’s slavery.