The average age of a victim of human trafficking is just 12 years old. Only 1-2 percent of victims are ever rescued. Worldwide, an estimated 27 million people are currently in bondage.
These shocking statistics are according to A21, an organization that gets its name from its mission, which is, “Abolishing injustice in the 21st century.”
A group of local volunteers is supporting this organization and its mission by participating in A21’s annual “Walk For Freedom” with an event in Wesley Chapel on Saturday, October 15, 9 a.m., beginning at the Shops at Wiregrass mall.
“A lot of people aren’t aware that human trafficking is in our own neighborhoods and communities,” says event organizer Rachel Martinez. “We are hosting this walk to bring awareness to this issue.”
Rachel is a Wesley Chapel resident who participated in the walk last year, along with her family and about 100 others. She’s hoping that this year, even more will participate, so that many people throughout our community will see the line of walkers, dressed in black, as silent ambassadors for a cause they want others to care about, too.
“This year, the sidewalks are complete, so we can walk west along S.R. 56,” Rachel says. “We want people to see us in our shirts as we walk all the way to I-75.”
She also says that local churches have supported the walk by paying for necessary permits, and fund-raising efforts cover costs for items such as bottled water for the walkers. There’s no cost for participants to attend, although they are encouraged to purchase an official A21 Walk For Freedom T-shirt from the website A21.org.
Rachel became interested in supporting the mission of A21 when she heard the founder of the organization, Christine Caine, speak at an event at her church. Caine is a Bible teacher, activist, and evangelist from Hillsong Church, an Australian megachurch.
“Her story and her passion really hit home for me,” says Rachel, who adds that in her job handling statewide permitting for a construction company, she’s often on websites for various municipalities, and she’s struck by how often those local governments have task forces and resources dedicated to fighting human trafficking.
For example, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) has information on its website (PascoSheriff.com) that underscores Rachel’s concerns. The PCSO website says that human trafficking is an industry worth billions of dollars, and is one of the largest criminal enterprises in the world, second only to the illegal drug trade. And, there are more people held in slavery in the world today, than at any other time in human history.
The National Human Trafficking Resource Center ranked Florida third among all states in the U.S. in the number of calls received by the center’s human trafficking hotline in 2015, as it has in past years, and many of those calls were from the Tampa Bay area.
“It’s big, big money, but maybe by bringing awareness to this issue, we can nip it in the bud,” Rachel says. “Maybe kids will learn something that will keep them safe from an unfortunate situation.”
To register to participate in the walk, visit A21.org/WesleyChapel or email FL4Freedom@hotmail.com.
The air conditioning was knocked out at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel Tuesday night, but technicians restored it in approximately two hours as the hospital returned to normal operations.
The signing ceremony, held at the Chamber office in The Grove at Wesley Chapel, featured New Tampa Rotary president Brice Wolford and WCCC Board chair Tracy Clouser signing off on a document that took a little while to finalize, but will definitely prove to be worth the wait for both the organizers and the likely thousands of attendees who will be on hand to help raise money for the New Tampa Rotary’s selected charities.
