Event:  UCLA Amnesty International Project

Description:  Sold, tricked, or kidnapped, victims of human trafficking are subjected to horrendous physical and psychological mistreatment by their captors, buyers, and patrons.  Taken against their will, the bodies and labor of these modern day slaves are commodified and sold on the world market. Unlike slavery of old, these trafficked persons are not confined to the fields, nor are they merely considered the spoils of ancient war.  Slaves in our new world economy can be found laboring in dark factories, behind locked doors as maids and unwilling brides, or disturbingly often, in dark cage-like brothels, their bodies ravaged as prostitutes.   Populations vulnerable to trafficking include but are not limited to women, ethnic minorities and migrants, but perhaps the most vulnerable demographic consists of those under 18 years of age – children. Young prostitutes in India have described the day they were sold as "The Day My God Died".  Amnesty International will be screening a documentary whose title echoes these exact words.  Provocative and emotional, "The Day My God Died" shows its viewers candid footage of brothel conditions in Bombay, India where raging HIV/AIDS infection rates only complicate an already horrendous situation.  Testimony from a student speaker will follow, describing her internship and field work with the D.C. based Polaris Project, a trafficking-intervention organization. Responsibility to end modern day slavery falls on the shoulders of those that have the resources and civil liberties to fight on behalf of these trafficked children, who have no voice of their own. Be a part of that voice in solidarity with UCLA Amnesty International and UCLA Polaris Project on Thursday, March 2nd 7 pm. Haines Hall 118. (amnesty@ucla.edu)

Start Date: 3/2/2006 7:00:00 PM   End Date:  3/2/2006 11:00:00 PM

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