For Immediate Release           Contact: Robert Cogswell
rcogswell@csjorange.org
(714) 633-8121 ext. 7773

Religious Congregations and Agencies to Convene on Human Trafficking Issues
Symposium 2010: Human Trafficking: the PRICE we pay…

Los Angeles, CA – In a Presidential Proclamation on January 4, 2010, President Obama declared, “Fighting modern slavery and human trafficking is a shared responsibility. This month, I urge all Americans to educate themselves about all forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences of human trafficking. Together, we can and must end this most serious, ongoing criminal civil rights violation.”  For the full text visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-national-slavery-and-human-trafficking-prevention-month. 

Slavery conjures images of the U.S. Civil War-era, yet modern day slavery exists today in greater numbers than the mid-19th century, often right under our noses.  It’s estimated that 27 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking.  Such an outrageous crime against humanity only exists because traffickers rely on people looking in another direction.  You can help bring an end to human trafficking by learning more about it and shining a light in the hidden places where traffickers operate.  A human trafficking educational opportunity is available on February 27 in the heart of Los Angeles.

On Saturday, February 27, 2010, eighteen religious congregations and agencies will gather at Mount St. Mary’s Doheny Campus for a symposium on “Human Trafficking: the PRICE we pay...”  Keynote speaker E. Benjamin Skinner, author of A Crime So Monstrous: Face to Face with Modern Day Slavery, will be joined by workshop leaders on topics including: children and human trafficking, economic causes and effects of human trafficking, modern day slavery and its costs to the millennium development goals, impact on families and communities locally and around the globe, and more.  The public is welcome.  For questions, brochures with detailed topic and speaker information, or to sign up, contact Zonia Duenas at the RSHM Provincial Center at 323-887-8821 ext. 220.

The annual symposium is sponsored by the Southern California Partnership for Global Justice, a coalition of religious congregations and agencies committed to raising awareness and creating action on global, social justice issues.  Members include: 
 Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Human Trafficking
 Daughters of Charity, West Province
 Daughters of Mary and Joseph
 Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose
 Immaculate Heart Community
 Office of Justice and Peace, Archdiocese of L.A.
 Pax Christi Los Angeles
 Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary
 Religious Sisters of Charity
 Sisters of Notre Dame
 Sisters of the Holy Family
 Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus & Mary
 Sisters of Providence
 Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
 Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange
 Sisters of St. Louis
 Sisters of Social Service
 Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus

AT A GLANCE
Symposium 2010 - Human Trafficking: the PRICE we pay…

Date:    Saturday, February 27, 2010
Time:   8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Location:  Mount St. Mary’s College – Doheny Campus
10 Chester Place, Los Angeles, CA 90007-2598

Keynote Address: “Human Trafficking: the PRICE we pay…” 
E. Benjamin Skinner
Author of A Crime So Monstrous: Face to Face with Modern Day Slavery 
  
Workshop Speakers: (1) “Modern Day Slavery and Its Costs to the Millennium Development Goals”
Sister Rita Arthur, RSHM, United Nations NGO Representative 
   
(2) “Slavery: Its Devastating Impact on Families and Communities Here and Around the World”
Kay Buck, Executive Director of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST)  
   
(3) “Human Trafficking – The Environment as Another Victim”
Allis Druffel, Chair of the Los Angeles Archdiocese Justice and Peace Commission 
   
(4) “Economic Causes and Effects of Human Trafficking”
Dr. Amata Miller, IHM, Professor of Economics and Social Justice
St. Catherine University (St. Paul, MN) and Marygrove College (Detroit, MI)  

(5) “Children and Human Trafficking”   
Sandie Morgan, Administrator, Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force
   
(6) “Redeeming Humanity”
Heather Moore, MSW, Consultant for agencies in developing programs and service provision for women, youth and survivors of violence
   
(7) “Where is the Moral Outrage?  Human Trafficking and the Moral Fabric of Society”
Dr. Jonathan Rothchild, Assistant Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University

Schedule:  8:30 a.m. Registration begins
   9:00  Welcome, Overview, Reflection
   9:10  Keynote Address: E. Benjamin Skinner
   10:00  Survivors tell stories
   10:20  Break
   10:40  Workshop Session I
   11:30  Moving Break
   11:40  Workshop Session II
   12:30 p.m. Lunch
   1:00  Round Table Discussions with Presenters
1:45   Panel Discussion
   2:45   Closing

Logistics:
 Bring bag lunch
 Drinks provided
 Campus cafeteria will be open
 Carpooling is encouraged
 Questions or Financial Assistance, please contact Sister Mary or Zonia at
323-887-8821 ext 220.

To Register:
 $10 before Feb. 5, 2010
 $15 after Feb. 6, 2010
 Walk-ins are welcome at $15 rate if space is available.

Click here for the registration form

Checks can be made payable to RSHM.  Please mail registration to:
RSHM Provincial Center
Attn: Symposium 2010
441 N. Garfield Avenue
Montebello, CA 90640