Laker Life

Intervarsity gives Halloween candy for cans

By Allison Bleeker GVL Staff Writer
10/28/2009

Trick-or-treating usually involves going from house to house and collecting candy and other goodies.

This Halloween, however, members of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship will bring candy to students in hopes of raising awareness about sex trafficking.

"This year as leaders, we decided to focus on and promote awareness of a global injustice to take action against," said Anna Marotti, diversity coordinator for Intervarsity. "Sex trafficking is often overlooked and misunderstood in the U.S. We wanted to draw attention to this travesty that not only happens in other parts of the world, but right here in Michigan, even Grand Rapids."

Members of Intervarsity will dress up in Halloween costumes on Saturday and split into small groups to visit the on-campus living centers. They will distribute candy and ask for small change and pop can donations to benefit the International Justice Mission, an agency that works to secure justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression.

The International Justice Mission consists of lawyers and investigators who work with professionals and local prosecutors to ensure immediate rescue and aftercare to victims and encourage prosecution of perpetrators to promote functioning public justice systems worldwide.

The groups will also hand out candy on Sunday and continue to collect empty pop cans from Halloween parties.

The United Nations estimates 700,000 to four million women and children are trafficked around the world for purposes of forced prostitution, labor and other forms of exploitation each year.

More than 10 cases of sex trafficking have been brought to public attention in the Grand Rapids area during the past few years.

"We often overlook the possibility of such a horrible crime being committed in our own city," Marotti said. "Many people try to ignore its presence."

Human trafficking is the practice of removing people from their home or country and forcing them to work for little or no pay in highly exploitative terms. Sex trafficking can include not only prostitution, but pornography as well.

Intervarsity members have been educating themselves on the topic of sex trafficking to raise awareness among students.

"(Sex trafficking) is a difficult topic, one that is often avoided, downplayed and ignored," said Intervarsity member Olivia White. "This ignorance about sex trafficking only helps to proliferate the problem by pushing it into the shadows and pretending it does not exist. The more people become aware of sex trafficking, the more they can protect themselves and help contribute towards the solution."

Intervarsity member Andrew Cole said he has found many people think sex trafficking is an issue only in distant third-world countries, and he wants people to realize it is an issue in the U.S. as well.

"We hope that students will generously give in the fight against this worldwide tragedy," he said. "In addition, we encourage people to write to our leaders in the government, making them more aware of this issue and demand that laws be instituted to stem the flow of human sex slaves in the United States. Many small and seemingly insignificant actions by Grand Valley students have the potential to cascade into a powerful voice amidst the darkness that is human sex trafficking."

ableeker@lanthorn.com

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