It was David Batstone’s book, “Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade — and How We Can Fight It,” that got young Bothell High minds thinking they could make a difference in others’ lives.
The bestseller casts an unwelcome light on human trafficking, which junior Moriah Beaulieu describes as when a person “is forced or bribed to go with someone and used for sexual exploitation or forced labor.” She added that children as young as age 4 and up are affected worldwide.
Junior Michelle Kang noted that although the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution outlawed slavery in 1865, “it’s still going on and growing more than ever. We just thought that it is a valuable lesson that everyone should be aware of. It’s not history — it’s a current issue.”
On Jan. 9, the Bothell High advanced-leadership class held a benefit dessert and silent auction to raise money and awareness for human trafficking. Guest speakers were Overlake School principal Dr. Frank Grijalva and Brian L. Cress of the International Justice Mission (IJM). About 60 people attended the event, which raised approximately $1,800 for IJM.
In 2001, Grijalva and his students sponsored a school in Cambodia to keep girls in school as a means to escape being trafficked. In 2007, they decided to assist a school in Ghana, as well.
According to its Web site, IJM’s first priority in its casework is immediate relief for the victim of the abuse being committed. The organization also seeks to hold perpetrators accountable for their abuse in their local justice systems. “Today, millions of lives around the world are in the grip of injustice,” the site says.
Advanced-leadership instructor Valerie Spagnolo became passionate about the fight against human trafficking when one of her students held a benefit dinner focused on the cause for her senior project four years ago. Since then, students have hosted drug-and-alcohol-awareness, suicide-prevention and body-image events.
When discussing the human-trafficking event, Spagnolo said: “It’s really important for me that kids in a leadership class really start thinking globally and realize there’s a world out there, and there are people their ages who are not as well off as they are, and what could they do? To watch them do this is so heart-felt.”
Before the event, junior Valerie Shmigol displayed passion, as well, when she spoke about the horrors of human trafficking. She and her classmates were surprised to read in “Not for Sale” that millions of people are trafficked throughout the U.S. and around the world each year.
“You think about Indonesia, you think about India and you think about these poor, third-world countries where people are just solicited and they are taken advantage of… it breaks your heart,” Shmigol said. “And then you watch videos like the ones we’re going to show tonight, and you cry.
“You feel so bad for these young girls and boys, and we’re sitting here taking advantage of this school system and all this freedom and liberty, and you think not everyone has it.”
Human trafficking is happening close to home in the Seattle area, as well, Beaulieu said, noting that it’s an “eye-opener” to know that someone her age could go missing and be held against their will.
“It’s not just some distant thing, it’s happening around us and to people our age, which was really shocking in my mind,” she said. “It’s kind of a humbling thing at the same time, knowing that I have this life where I’m safe right now, and being able to be aware and help other people be aware is kind of a comforting thing.”
Shmigol hopes that by donating money to the IJM, people can eventually be freed and return to their normal lives, receive an education and someday start a family.
“There are so many wonderful stories about people who have gotten out, and how they’ve overcome their biggest struggles and their trust issues,” she said. “They’re working toward a better future for them and their family.”
