More than 100 people braved the cold from 5 to 5:30 p.m. Dec. 8 for a candlelight march from the in the Trinity Commons, formerly the Free Speech Area, to the City Plaza in support of Stop Trafficking of Persons, an on-campus organization.
After the group reached Chico’s downtown City Plaza, the organization presented Mayor Ann Schwab with a petition that included more than 1,600 signatures asking the city to declare itself a “slavery-free zone,” according to the petition.
The petition was important to raise consciousness about the issue, Schwab said.
“Part of being a citizen is raising awareness and doing something to change a wrong,” she said.
Human trafficking is a worldwide problem, but it is also happening around Chico, said Janja Lalich, a faculty adviser for STOP.
The petitions were meant to raise awareness and ask Schwab to lend her support to the cause, she said.
“Next semester we hope to work on policy,” Lalich said.
The organization wants to find out exactly what goes on in Chico in terms of human trafficking by talking to the police and other resources, she said.
“California is one of the main destinations for traffickers,” Lalich said.
Human trafficking involves anytime when people are “coerced, tricked or threatened” into being exploited, said Kate Transchel, a professor in the history department.
Human trafficking really became a problem between 1992 and 1993, she said.
The current laws regarding slavery are outdated and don’t cover modern trafficking issues, said senior Laura Hall, a sociology major and member of STOP.
Human trafficking is very under-reported, she said. The last number STOP came across was 17,000 people being trafficked in California.
Schwab was surprised by the turnout in support of STOP, she said.
“I support this initiative to support you, citizens of the city of Chico, who care enough about a cause to raise awareness, get a petition signed and come out on a cold night like tonight,” Schwab said to the crowd.
Mike can be reached at
newseditor@theorion.com
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