Washington, DC– From June 23-28, fifteen students from home and abroad gathered at the annual Students Opposing Slavery International Summit to develop their ideas on combatting human trafficking. The summit was held by President Lincoln’s Cottage, a home with a legacy of working towards greater freedom. Abraham Lincoln developed the Emancipation Proclamation while in residence during the summer of 1862.
The students’ ideas culminated in final projects which they presented at the end of the week. Two local students who participated (who both happen to be named Vivian) showed their DMV savvy by drafting bills that will assist in the fight for freedom.
Vivian Monaco (16) from Arlington, Virginia proposed a bill to expand and enforce protections for migrants who are issued temporary H-2A visas for agricultural work.
The idea was ignited by a talk by the anti-human-trafficking organization, Polaris, on the first day of the Summit. Listening to this talk, Monaco learned about the prevalence of labor trafficking in urban environments like DC, but also on farms across the United States. Large-scale farming operations often violate or find loopholes with workers’ H-2A visas, resulting in exploitation of migrant workers. “We hear a lot about rights in America – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it’s shocking to learn that there are a lot of people who don’t have these rights and never will,” said Monaco.
Monaco’s bill establishes fines for violators, ensures oversight over the currently corrupt recruitment process, and makes sure contracts are upheld in the native language of the worker. She will focus on specific districts in California where the levels of H-2A violations are sky-high.
Vivian Yu (18) from Oakton, Virginia plans to introduce a bill to combat a different aspect of human trafficking: preventing a particular circumstance that can increase vulnerability for young Americans in school.
Yu’s bill, the Title IX Training and Education Act, would address the social isolation that often occurs when students are bullied or harassed. Social isolation is, not surprisingly, a strong precursor to trafficking.
Yu’s bill, inspired by her personal struggles with school administration after a harassment situation, mandates that the Department of Education facilitate student advocacy by educating students on their Title IX rights, and training for administrators on how to advocate for their students when these rights are violated. She plans on going to the Capitol with other affected students and approaching different school boards to lobby for the bill.
Other students also presented ideas that were both compelling and practical. Students are working to share information with their own school communities, create websites with resources for survivors and the wider public, developing a podcast to share awareness, and planning advocacy partnerships with Amnesty International, UNICEF, Girl Scouts, and other non-profits.
“These were some of the brightest young change-makers that we have hosted at President Lincoln’s Cottage in the eleven years that we have been convening the Students Opposing Slavery Summit,” said Callie Hawkins, CEO & Executive Director of President Lincoln’s Cottage. “We look forward to seeing them enact their projects and apply the information they learned at the Summit as they move forward with their advocacy work.”
Media contact: Rebecca Kilborne
(240) 997-6223
Picture of the 2024 Class:
Video about the summit made in 2023:
Categories:Press Releases
Tags:human trafficking, modern slavery, press release
