Kick Off Rally for the Upcoming Walk Against Human Trafficking
Date Posted: 5/3/2006

Students, Community Organizations Participated in a Kick Off Rally for the Upcoming Walk Against Human Trafficking To Raise Awareness and Advocate for Anti-Human Trafficking Policies
 
Westminster, CA - In the past few years, the community has been consistently following the growing issue of human trafficking, especially of Vietnamese women and children. There is greater awareness of human trafficking as a modern day form of slavery. Many non-profit organizations including the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations, the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations,

the Vietnamese Professional Society, the St. Anselm’s Multicultural Center, the Cambodian Family, and the Vietnamese Alliance to Combat Trafficking (VietACT) have organized workshops, events, and programs to raise public concern and support for the victims of human trafficking.
 
After hearing the numerous horrific stories of sexual and labor exploitation of women and children, especifically from Reverend Peter Nguyen Van Hung, in July 2005, the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (uNAVSA) committed student leaders from across the country to work on raising more public awareness about human trafficking and supporting the efforts of the recently formed Vietnamese Alliance to Combat Human Trafficking (VietACT).
 
In Southern California, the Union of Vietnamese Student Associations of Southern California will join the uNAVSA national effort by hosting a Walk Against Human Trafficking on May 13th, 2006. The Walk Against Trafficking event aims to educate and raise greater concern in the general public about the epidemic of modern-day slavery known as human trafficking, particularly the exploitation of Vietnamese men and women who endure slave labor and sexual exploitation.
 
Vietnamese Student Associations have been working hard to inform the community about human trafficking while promoting community wide participation on the Walk Against Trafficking. This past Sunday, April 23, 2006 over 50 representatives and volunteers from ten schools in Southern California, UVSA, and Doan Thanh Nien Phan Boi Chau youth group came out to participate in the rally. The rally was kicked off in front of the Phuoc Loc Tho mall with a motivational speech by Bob Jones, the Anti-Human Trafficking Coordinator from St. Anselm’s Cross Cultural Community Center.
 
The registration for the upcoming walk is $20 and will include a Walk Against Human Trafficking t-shirt. The WALK AGAINST TRAFFICKING will begin at the headquarters of the event at Nguoi Viet Daily News Community Room, 14771 Moran Street, Westminster, California. The walkathon will be a multi-hour event designed to educate about the tragedy of human trafficking and raise money for the programs of the Vietnamese Alliance to Combat Trafficking (VietACT).
 
VietACT is a grassroots organization dedicated to eradicating human trafficking of Vietnamese victims through collaboration, advocacy, and education, for the purpose of supporting, protecting, and empowering victims. VietACT has been involved with numerous fundraising efforts to support of the Vietnamese Brides and Migrant Workers Office in Taipei, Taiwan.  Proceeds have gone directly to aid victims with shelter, health care, counseling, and legal services. 
For more information, please contact Michael Nguyen (UVSA) at 714-488-9958 or internalvp@thsv.org or visit www.vietact.org.