The United Nation’s International Children’s Relief Fund (UNICEF) Club, Another World Club, and Key Club of Potomac Falls have come together to host an event that will shine a light on modern day slavery. According to CNN, there are approximately 20-30 million slaves on the planet today, that’s more than EVER in recorded history. Human Trafficking is the selling and trade of human beings across international borders into slavery. Modern day slavery can take form in sexual exploitation into the slave trade or forced labor. Human beings are held in brothels, factories or fields and are often dependent on their oppressors to survive. Most slavery takes place in South Asia, although it is estimated that approximately 300,000 slaves are held in captivity here, in the United States.

The event will be held this Saturday, May 31 at 7 p.m. in the PFHS auditorium. “It’s really exciting that this event is finally happening. I remember when Mena Ayazi, our president [of UNICEF Club] brought the idea up at a meeting. We were all inspired to carry it out and it’s so unreal that it is only a few days away,” said senior Palak Mittal, the UNICEF Club Secretary.

Refreshments and finger foods will be served and a little ‘Humanitarian Bazaar’ or a little shop featuring Kandahar Treasure and Hands Producing Hope will be selling their products. Kandahar Treasure is one of the only women run enterprises in Kandahar, Afghanistan that empowers women economically by helping them create and sell fine pieces of traditional embroidery around the world. Hands Producing Hope helps empower women and the underprivileged in communities around Peru through the creation and selling of jewelry and by providing services such as education.

The keynote speaker will be Mr. Gary Haugen, the founder and CEO of the International Justice Mission (IJM). IJM is an international human rights enterprise that helps protect the poor from violence throughout the developing world. They focus on slavery, sex trafficking, sexual violence, property grabbing, police abuse of power, and citizenship rights abuse in nearly 20 communities throughout Africa, Latin America, South and Southeast Asia. Haugen will be giving his remarks on the subject and explaining the depth of modern day slavery in the world today.

Haugen is one of the biggest justice advocates of our time and has  worked at the United States Department of Justice in the civil rights division and also as the United Nations investigator in charge in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Haugen is also the author of The Locust Effect, a book about the hidden problem that affects the poor; everyday violence. This book will be on sale at the event as well.

“I think it is awesome that we chose human trafficking as the issue to raise awareness of. It’s something that’s known, but not known by everyone and it is a growing issue. The fact that we have more slaves on the planet today than ever in history is just insane. Most people also don’t know what it is so this event will teach them what it is and what they can do to help,” said co-president of Another World Club, junior Beth Duke.

Tickets for the event are only $1 and all proceeds will be donated to the International Justice Mission. Come out and see what you can do to end modern day slavery!