CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY CELEBRITY CENTRE INTERNATIONAL HOSTS FORUM ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING

The Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre International hosted a forum and fundraiser March 31 to increase awareness of human trafficking and its consequences in Southern California. Funds raised will go to support human rights education.

Virginia Isaias, whose Foundation of Survivors of Human Trafficking (Fundacion de Sobrevivientes de Trafico Humano) is a resource center to help those who have escaped or been rescued from slavery, urged survivors to speak up to raise awareness of the plight of trafficking victims.

Youth for Human Rights volunteer Cristal Logothetis, who organized the forum, explained why she became involved with this issue.

“A few months ago, I was shocked to learn the International Labor Organization estimates as many as 27 million individuals are enslaved today and according to the U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report, every year 600,000 to 800,000 persons are trafficked across international borders.”

The U.S. State Department also estimates 14,500 to 17,500 individuals, primarily women and children, are trafficked to the United States annually. Last week, The New York Timesreported an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 American-born children are sold for sex each year. In its October 2007 Final Report, the California Alliance to Combat Trafficking and Slavery Task Force noted that California is a top destination for human traffickers.

According to Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna who hosted the National Association of Attorney Generals (NAAG) human trafficking summit in Seattle, Washington, March 28-30, 2012, human trafficking is a $32 billion global industry.

At the March 31 forum, Tracie Parker, Human Rights Youth Coordinator of the Church of Scientology International, highlighted the importance of human rights education in fighting human trafficking: “Most people think this is only a problem in third-world countries, but it is happening right here. Raising awareness is vital. Tips to authorities from private citizens are a prime means of locating and freeing victims and apprehending traffickers.”

The Church of Scientology sponsors one of the world’s largest nongovernmental human rights information campaigns, aimed at raising awareness and calling for governments to meaningfully support and ensure respect for human rights.

For more information about the human rights initiative of the Church of Scientology, visit theScientology website. For more information on Youth for Human Rights International, visitwww.youthforhumanrights.org.

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The Scientology religion was founded by author and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed in the United States in 1954 and has grown to more than 10,000 Churches, Missions and affiliated groups and millions of members in 167 nations.

Official Scientology News: ScientologyNews.org

Australian Scientology members Fight Human Trafficking

Scientology volunteers demand effective action to knock out modern slave trade. Australia is the destination country for victims trafficked from East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe, says U.S. State Department.

Scientology Volunteers in Sydney circulated a petition at Sydney Town Hall November 16, calling for mandatory human rights education in Australia to eliminate human rights abuses. One of the worst abuses is the criminal practice of human trafficking in the country. As many as 27 million are enslaved in the world today according to the United Nations, earning perpetrators upwards of $34 billion Australian annually. Some estimate half of those trafficked come from Asia-Pacific and that at least half of all victims are children.

According to the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report for 2009, despite major strides by law enforcement, Australia is the destination country for many of the victims trafficked from East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe, particularly the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand.

Members of the Church of Scientology of Sydney held Monday’s petition signing because they believe Australians would never stand for human trafficking and other human rights abuses in their country if they knew of it.

Scientology Churches around the world sponsor the largest non-governmental information campaign the world over, which has made the Universal Declaration of Human Rights known to more than 900,000 people through public service announcements, booklets and petition drives.

For more information about the Church of Scientology human rights initiative visit the Scientology web site at www.scientology.org.