Luis CdeBaca, Ambassador at Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, spoke in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union Tuesday night about the continuing struggle with human trafficking and modern slavery.

CdeBaca began by introducing the audience to a young woman, Brittany, whose voice, he said, “can not be stilled.” Brittany’s story is a story of strength and courage. At the age of 15 she ran away to Cedar Rapids, where a man approached her in Hyvee and asked her if she was interested in a modeling job. With the hopes of a better opportunity and a better life, Brittany agreed to go with the man to Chicago, where she was held in a hotel against her will. She was later rescued by an undercover police officer. “He saved her life,” said Bill Buckels, her foster mother’s husband.

When it came time for the trial, Ruth Buckels, Brittany’s foster mother, received a call from the prosecutor. Buckels said the prosecutor was asking strange questions, such as “has her look changed?” Buckels responded by asking “If I bring Brittany [to the trial] are you going to guarantee she will be safe?” After a long pause, the prosecutor said, “There are people who don’t want her to testify…I can’t guarantee her safety.” To protect Brittany, Buckels said she decided it would be best not to take her to trial.

“Brittany was very shook for a while,” said Buckels, “but she’s getting stronger and stronger…she started speaking about it because she wanted people to be aware.”

It is estimated to be 27 million children in slavery today – more people enslaved than any time in history, said CdeBaca, “What about their voices? Who’s listening to them? Who’s hearing them? Some people want to turn away, to pretend it’s not happening.”

President Obama said we need to rededicate ourselves to the fight against modern slavery. In 2009, Obama appointed CdeBaca to coordinate U.S. government activities in the global fight against contemporary forms of slavery. CdeBaca said it’s his job to look at what countries are doing to fight human trafficking, assess those governments, and rank those governments. A tier one ranking is the highest, and is what the US is considered, however, CdeBaca said “it’s like getting a C…far from getting an A grade.”

“Fighting slavery is simply who we are as a nation,” said CdeBaca, “It’s part of delivery the promise of freedom…slavery and our promise to end it is not a thing of the past – emancipation was a promise for all time.”

Everybody can help to solve the problem. CdeBaca suggests people look at how trafficking “touches our own lives” and make sure others know about the lingering issue. One way to do this is by logging onto slaveryfootprint.org. The 15-20 minute survey calculates a “slavery footprint” – how many slaves of those 27 million work for me?

“I fight slavery for a living and I have 84 people around the world who are working in bondage to sustain the lifestyle I live,” said CdeBaca, “the thing we have to realize is it has to be a call to action…this challenges us not just to hear the voices of the past but also those around us who yearn to be free. If we only listen, we can walk with them on the road to freedom. If we do that, we can achieve the world that was dreamed of, fought for, and died for: a world without slavery.”