Human trafficking is a problem in other parts of the world, but many do not realize how close to home the issue hits.
Women are sold for sexual purposes right here in Auburn. With the recent invention of classified advertisement websites, exploitation has been made even easier.
Freedom 21, a faith-based, non-profit organization located in Auburn, work to raise community awareness and decrease the amount of people sold for their bodies.
According to its website, Freedom 21's mission is to wage war against the epidemic of human slavery in our nation, in our world, on our watch.
Alex Jay, sophomore in special education and member of Freedom 21, said what she thinks needs to be done to accomplish that goal.
"Obviously, what we really want to do is end trafficking altogether" Jay said. "To do that, we must eliminate the demand. If the johns (people who pay for sex) did not demand, then there would be no reason to supply. Until we can figure out how to do that, we just hope to help the victims as much as we possibly can."
Hope Kennamer, junior in communications, is also a member of the organization.
"Honestly, at this point, not much surprises me about human trafficking," Kennamer said. "What I've found is a lot of women, especially young women, look for acceptance from men. We want to help them, instead, find acceptance from God, The whole point of Freedom 21 is to help alleviate the problem with the help of the police force and prayer."
According to FreedomTwenty-One.org, just a two hour drive from Auburn, Atlanta is the No. 1 hub for human trafficking and child sex exploitation in the United States.
Lori Sewell, president of Freedom 21, started to help the cause by raising money for the larger organization, A21. At the time, she said she did not know how rampant human trafficking is in the area.
"At first, we just wanted to do a 5K to raise money for the A21 campaign," Sewell said. "We did the race and raised $7,000. Then, we started researching the issue and found out there was a major problem with sex trafficking here in Auburn. It happens in plain sight. No one seems to notice it happens here, so they don't know what to look for. That's why we decided we needed to get our stuff together and become our own public charity, and start work to abolish sex trafficking locally."
Currently, Freedom 21 works with local law enforcement and the FBI to identify and break up human trafficking rings in the Auburn-Opelika area.
Soon, the group would like to open a shelter for victims of sexual exploitation.
"We want to open a freedom house, and we are getting very close to doing that," Sewell said. "We will provide medical and psychological care to victims. We will also try to give them some sort of vocational training and job support. Of course, we will try to guide them spiritually as well."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
