by Vanessa Nguyen
photos courtesy of VietAct and uNAVSA

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”—Margaret Mead

Human slavery exists to this day. It is a reality that most of us have not experienced, and a crime against humanity many of us cannot even imagine. However, there are groups and organizations actively working to combat the scourge of modern-day slavery. Their members have dedicated themselves to raising awareness, implementing change, and giving our Vietnamese brothers and sisters who are victims of human trafficking a voice. One such group is comprised of the Vietnamese Alliance to Combat Trafficking (VietACT), the Union of North American Vietnamese Student Associations (uNAVSA), and collegiate and professional societies throughout the Vietnamese community.

The spirit of an impassioned community aware of the atrocity crippling our community internationally and locally became a promising reality as the transcontinental and multi-event project, Relay Against Trafficking, wrapped up in May with major success at the Southern California Walk Against Human Trafficking.

The exhausted voices of VietACT and uNAVSA representatives from across the nation (events took place in Minnesota, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, Washington, Massachusetts, Georgia, California and Canada) indicated that the struggle to eradicate human trafficking has been a demanding battle. However, no matter how many sleepless nights went into planning these relay events across the continent, the spirit behind the movement to eradicate human trafficking shows no sign of weakening. In fact, the movement to abolish the modern-day form of human slavery is only getting stronger.

The success stories of each relay event validate all of the hard work that went into organizing this international campaign. Key to the success of the Relay Against Trafficking were the activities designed to unite individuals under the common goal of creating change through awareness and activism. These activities included discussion panels with professionals and volunteers who have traveled abroad to personally aid victims and survivors of human trafficking, writing to legislators, participation in walkathons, a photo statement campaign where advocates took pictures with anti-trafficking banners, writing letters of hope for victims, and many other creative projects.

The participation of thousands of people across the country illuminated the fact that the aspirations and dreams of a few good people can change the face of a community and even the destiny of many of our Vietnamese brothers and sisters who are less fortunate than us.

The movement to combat human trafficking dates back to early 2004 when Father Peter Nguyen Van Hung with other Vietnamese priests in Taiwan founded the Vietnamese Migrant Workers & Brides Office (VMWBO) to serve and assist Vietnamese workers and brides in distress. It was also in 2004 that a handful of dedicated people founded VietACT, headed by Tammy Tran Thi Thien Tam who serves as president of the organization. Because of Father Peter and Tammy’s hard work, VietACT’s photo campaign will be used in the upcoming Secretary of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report. Moreover, Father Peter was officially declared a hero in the fight against human trafficking in Washington, D.C.

Each year uNAVSA selects one non-profit organization that its member groups across North America will support for the remainder of that year. In July 2005 attendees at the 2005 uNAVSA / Vietnamese Interacting as One (VIA-1) Conference held in Chicago, Illinois voted to select VietACT as the first Collective Philanthropy Project (CPP) recipient organization. Thanks to the collaboration of Vietnamese Student Associations throughout North America, CPP managed to become a powerful movement mobilizing volunteers and students across the continent. It was through the joint efforts of Vietnamese Student Associations throughout North America that the Relay Against Trafficking was able to gain momentum and accomplish its goal of raising over $35,000.