Human Trafficking - The new slavery
Posted: Saturday February 14th, 2009
Upcoming Event: Tuesday February 24th, 2009.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING – THE "NEW" SLAVERY
Tuesday, FEBRUARY 24, 7:00 pm
With Theresa L. Flores and Given Kachepa
222 WOOTEN HALL, University of North Texas
(corner of Welch & Highland)
SPONSORED BY:
North Texas Anti-Trafficking Task Force, Peace Action Denton, UNT Peace Studies Program
PEACE, DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS LECTURE SERIES
Ms. Flores is a human trafficking victim/survivor who was sexually exploited by a criminal ring of men when she was only 15 years old. For two long years, she was coerced into debt bondage, manipulated, kidnapped, physically and sexually abused, and became a modern day slave. Twenty five years later, she has regained her voice and written her story, "The Sacred Bath". Theresa has helped raise awareness about sex trafficking through all types of media and recently The Today Show and MSNBC told her story. Ms. Flores has been a licensed social worker for nearly twenty years and received her Master's in Counseling Education from University of Dayton. She currently works for Gracehaven Shelter by speaking and raising awareness about this global atrocity. Gracehaven is being built for young girls under the age of 18 who have been victimized by human trafficking Orphaned at age 9, brought to the United States at age 11, Zambian singer Given Kachepa thought he traveled to raise money for Zambian schools, his siblings, a salary and an education. Realizing no schools were being built, no money was going to him or his family, singing 4-7 concerts a day, food withheld and no education, Given became a victim of Human Trafficking, modern-day slavery. Rescued by INS in 2000, Given sought to make a difference to educate the public about this atrocity. He helped pass a trafficking law for Texas in 2003. Through television, radio, magazines, speeches, the internet, books and press conferences Given has helped professionals and the general public understand the crime of the sale of human beings. Given is a senior biology major at The University of North Texas. His hope is to help the world understand the global issue of human trafficking so other children will not have their childhood stolen and sold as his was.