An ISU student organization is taking a stance against modern slavery, that is happening in Ames, by educating others.

Iowa State’s chapter of the Network Against Human Trafficking is presenting a documentary called “Rape for Profit.” It will be shown at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 at Troxel Hall.

“Rape for Profit” is a film by Mew Films and takes a close look at the sex trade and the prostitution of young girls in the United States.

ISU’s NAHT student organization is dedicated to the termination and prevention of human trafficking. It is a chapter of a much bigger organization with hundreds of members throughout Central Iowa.

Human trafficking is the illegal movement of an individual for forced labor or sexual exploitation. The individual is often forced or coerced into the conditions of his/her service. There are several types of trade of human trafficking, including sex, organ, drug and labor.

“Commonly, a person will be held against their will to be raped repeatedly for the profit of someone else,” said Samantha Buckstead, a senior in child, adult and family services and president of ISU’s NAHT chapter. “We at the Network primarily focus on sex trafficking.”

Buckstead started ISU’s chapter of the NAHT was started last year after she saw a need for this issue to have an outlet on campus.

There are about 40 members in NAHT on campus.

“We started it at the end of last semester, and we really got it rolling this semester,” Buckstead said. “Right now as a club we are really small, but we’ve got some people who are invested and really want to make a difference.”

Brad Hartmann, junior in materials engineering, said he knows very little about human trafficking.

“I’m not really aware that it goes on in the United States actually,” Hartmann said. “I would say there is a lack of education about it.”

Buckstead and the NAHT hopes to change that by making more people aware of the issue. The “Rape for Profit” documentary is the first step in that direction.

“It’s an informative documentary that focuses on the prostitution of young girls,” Buckstead said. “So we want to inform the audience and provide them with ways to actively engage in this battle to fight against human trafficking.”

However, the goal of the student organization is not just to spread awareness about human trafficking, but to educate others on how to spot the signs.

“Even if we get everyone on the Iowa State campus to know about human trafficking, if no one does anything about it, then how much have we really gained?” Buckstead said. “Our angle is that we can raise up people to train others to know what human trafficking looks like. We want to help educate professionals who work with these people who are being trafficked or are in those high risk areas.”

Buckstead said professionals such as hotel managers, overnight hotel staff, attorneys and law enforcement should learn the signs to put an end to the sex trade and even take preventative steps.

Law enforcement officers are a part of the key group that NAHT hopes to train as well.

“We’re going to hold a training on data mining on sites where victims are sold,” Buckstead said. “So we want to track sellers, and hopefully get them arrested.”

Those individuals who are at high risk to be victims of the sex trade are the homeless youth, because no one is actively looking for them, Buckstead said.

“After 48 hours of being in the street, one in three homeless youth will be approached for commercial sex,” Buckstead said. “Many of these youths will feel the need to engage in commercial sex, or what we call survival sex, so they can get food or housing.”

Buckstead said victims are coerced into the sex trade by someone, often times a pimp, or someone who sells individuals for sexual acts, who claims they can solve victims’ problems and traps them in that situation.

“Many people are lured into it because someone will offer them a job or safe housing or other reasons. It’s very similar to domestic violence in the way victims are trapped in those relationships,” Buckstead said.

The demand for these services has made the sex trade possible, and people often don’t realize the impact it can have.

One in five pornographic images is of a child and the average age of entry into prostitution is 13.

“Those children aren’t willingly wanting to be victimized like that,” Buckstead said. “If you’re viewing or buying that, you’re contributing to human trafficking. People just don’t recognize that those individuals are forced into that.”

Buckstead said NAHT is actively involved in passing legislature in Iowa for victims of human trafficking.

“We want to implement laws that help victims,” Buckstead said.

Senate File 2311, which will take effect Jan. 2015, is an accomplishment for the cause, she said. Before the legislation was passed, children were being arrested for prostitution. Now, if a person is younger than 18, the act is seen as a child in need of assistance.

“Now everything’s changed,” Buckstead said. “That’s a huge accomplishment we’ve been able to see.”

It is important to see individuals who are forced into the sex trade as victims and not criminals, Buckstead said.

Jessica Andersen, sophomore in interior design, believes it’s going to take more than awareness to end human trafficking.

“I think it’s going to take more of a governmental approach in each individual country that it’s common in to really make a huge difference,” Andersen said. “I did a project on this last year, and I think there are about 20 million worldwide in some form of slavery. It’s difficult to get an accurate number though, because you can’t find all of them.”

Although she is graduating in December, Buckstead said she will continue to be actively apart of NAHT.

The “Rape for Profit” documentary is the first event ISU’s chapter of NAHT is presenting. There are two more events planned for Nov. 19 and Dec. 6.