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Walk for Freedom seeks to bring awareness to human trafficking

This modern slavery protest brings a voice to the voiceless.
Abolish slavery everywhere, forever; walk for freedom

A21 is an Australian non-profit organization that focuses on ending modern slavery. This Saturday, it is hosting the Walk For Freedom in Santa Ana, California, as part of worldwide protest to spread awareness for human trafficking and to let those caught in slavery know that people stand with them in solidarity.

CAMPAIGN AGAINST SLAVERY

Everyone who attends the unique, silent protest wears black, holding fliers and posters with statistics and information on human trafficking while walking in a single file line throughout the city.

At its core, the protestors simply want more people to be aware of human trafficking. According to A21’s website, the group is “eradicating human trafficking through awareness, intervention, and aftercare.” According to A21’s website, there are millions of people enslaved in sex, labor and even militant trafficking. The trafficking business is a $150 billion industry and only one percent of victims are ever saved. With the Walk for Freedom this weekend, A21 hopes to educate people on the weight and gravity of this dire situation.

Keeley Pettlon-Schiappa is a senior public relations major who volunteers for A21. This year, she is helping to organize the Santa Ana protest and is passionate about the protest because many children who are being trafficked have no voice for themselves. She wants to give them one.

“We see them and we don’t realize, Pettlon-Schiappa said. They’ll be driving in the car next to us. They’ll be in our schools and we don’t know what’s going on with them. The point of this walk is to show them we are with you, we are fighting for you, we are going to find you, you are not alone. You can speak up, you have a voice and there are people who want to help you.”

CALL TO BIOLA STUDENTS

Christians are called to fight for those trapped in human trafficking. Jesus stood with the oppressed, empowering them with hope, Pettlon-Schiappa believes. It is the Christian’s responsibility to fight injustice with love and to seek justice through Jesus’ redeeming power. Pettlon-Schiappa thinks we should follow Jesus’ model by giving a voice to the voiceless.  

“This is a really unique environment where we’re all Christians and we’re all seeking the Lord and we’re all trying to grow in how we follow him,” Pettlon-Schiappa said. “Jesus went to those minorities and he was there with them and he walked with them and he loved them. I feel like that’s something we’re called to do.”

The Walk for Freedom takes place this Saturday on Oct. 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Civic Center Plaza in Santa Ana, and students can register on A21’s official website.

 

Check out the Chimes’ A21 Walk fro Freedom Recap Video

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About the Contributor
Pierce Singgih
Pierce Singgih, Editor-in-Chief (Fall 2019)
Pierce Singgih is a senior journalism major who keeps postponing graduation. When he’s not writing or editing, he can be found watching a Noah Baumbach film or drinking coffee. [email protected] I transferred to Biola as a biology major in 2017. You read that right. I wanted to be a doctor. After a semester here, and a few semesters of biology at community college, I realized I had zero desire to pursue a career in medicine. With no direction and little experience writing, I took a leap of faith into journalism. Now, after two years in the program, a few internships and my time with the Chimes, I’ve fallen in love with storytelling.  At its core, journalism is the voice of the community. Journalists provide a voice to the voiceless, standing up for those can’t stand up for themselves. I love representing a community and its people, bringing their voice to life in order to make real change.  Last summer, I interned for the Los Angeles Daily News where I did just that. I submerged myself in the San Fernando Valley –– a Los Angeles community –– covering breaking news, crime, elections and homelessness, among other issues. I also contribute to Film School Rejects, an online entertainment publication where I’ve covered the Los Angeles Film Festival and have certified film reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.  Now, I’m excited to follow in the footsteps of Editors-in-Chief before me and lead the Chimes into a new era of journalistic excellence.
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