Danielle Hickey | Photo editor
Senior anthropology and psychology major Lauren Visconte and junior anthropology
and biology major Stephanie Jackson started a new student group called HASTE:
Humans Against Sex Trafficking Exploitation, which will show a movie about sex
trafficking at 7 p.m. today in 100 Willamette.
New organization
aims to shed light
on sex trafficking
Two students formed HASTE: Humans Against Sex
Trafficking Exploitation, one of 11 groups nationwide
BY BRTTTNI MCCLENAHAN
NEWS REPORTER
Two University students have tak
en action against sex trafficking by
creating a new student group de
signed to educate students about the
world’s third-largest criminal activity.
The new student organization,
HASTE: Humans Against Sex Traf
ficking Exploitation, is spreading the
word about the issue with a discus
sion and free film showing at 7 p.m.
today in 100 Willamette.
Inspired by Dr. Carol Silverman’s
Women and Culture anthropology
class, HASTE was started in fall
2004 after undergraduate students
Lauren Visconte and Stephanie
Jackson watched the film being
shown tonight.
“Lilja 4-Ever” is a Swedish film
based primarily on the life of a
Russian girl trafficked into Sweden
and sold as a sex slave. The group
will host a discussion prior to
the showing.
“We think it’s so important that
people see this film,” Visconte said.
“It’s so powerful.”
Visconte, a double major in an
thropology and psychology, is writing
her honors thesis on sex trafficking in
the United States and will present it
at a sex trafficking and prostitution
conference in Ohio in September.
“This is an issue that really hit me
hard,” Visconte said. “The numbers
are too staggering to ignore.”
According to the Polaris Project, a
grassroots organization fighting hu
man trafficking in the United States
and Japan, human trafficking is the
third-largest and fastest-growing
criminal industry in the world today
and coercively employs millions of
women through physically and psy
chologically abusive methods.
Currently, 2 percent of Indonesia’s
gross national product is generated
from the national sex trade, which
equates to approximately 650,000
women and children traded in the in
dustry. In Thailand, 14 percent of the
country’s GNP is generated by com
mercial sex acts.
The United Nations estimates that
four million women and children are
trafficked and sold into sex slavery
each year; however, that number is
probably too low because human
trafficking is widespread and difficult
to track, according to Polaris. A rough
estimate by the U.S. Office of Justice
Programs states that about 75,000 of
those 4 million are trafficked in the
United States.
Jackson, a junior double major in
biology and anthropology, said the
group hopes to build awareness about
this underrepresented problem.
“This is why we started the organi
zation,” Jackson said. “This stuff
happens everywhere, not just over
seas behind closed doors. Just a cou
ple of days ago I met a woman at a
health clinic whose sister was traf
ficked. This stuff is everywhere, and
we need to recognize that if we ever
hope for things to improve.”
Jackson said that economics also
plays a role in the sex trade and con
trasted it with drug trafficking.
“Virginity runs about $3,000,”
Jackson said. “It’s much more prof
itable than the drug trade.”
HASTE is the 11th organization in
the nation created to combat sex
trafficking. The group obtained
sponsorship from Amnesty Interna
tional, and while the organization
does not give HASTE money, Vis
conte said Amnesty International
support has been instrumental in
giving the group more authority and
fuel for its cause.
The group is looking into grant
money for next year, and Visconte
said group members hope HASTE
will continue long after the founders
have left the University with the sup
port from faculty, and graduate and
undergraduate students.
“Currently, the line between prosti
tution and sex slavery is very thin,”
Visconte said. “HASTE completely
agrees that it is a woman’s choice to
do whatever she wants with her
body, but people need to know that
sex trafficking is not a choice. This is
modern-day slavery. ’’
For more information about
HASTE or to join the group’s daily
newsletter list, contact Visconte at
lvisconte@aol.com.
bmcclenahan@dailyemerald.com
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To: The Campus Community
From: The Bias Response Team and the ASUO Executive
Re: Bias on Campus
The Bias Response Team and the ASUO Executive believe that to have a positive community, all
people need to feel welcome to express themselves and to participate as members of our society.
The Bias Response Team and the ASUO Executive ask that all students join us in opposing bias, hate,
discrimination, and intimidation against any group or individual in our community.
Each day, incidents of Bias occur on our campus, be it in a classroom, on the street, in the
residence halls, or any of the numerous places where we go throughout our day. These occurrences
create a chilling effect not only for the individual who intentionally or unintentionally targeted in the
episode, but also the group to which those individuals belong to.
It is important to be mindful of the things that we say and do, because there may be instances where
we accidentally hurt another without realizing it. To this end we ask that members of our
community be mindful of how their actions may be perceived by others, and to take the time to learn
more about other individuals and groups. To aid in this request, the Bias Response Team is hosting
several events this week to promote a welcoming campus.
Please feel free to stop by the Bias Response Team table from Wednesday thru Friday 11:30 to 1:00
outside of the EMU; or come to the joint panel on Wednesday at 6:30 pm in 111 Lillis where
representatives from the Oregon Daily Emerald, Oregon Commentator, the Student Insurgent, and
the Oregon Voice will be speaking about freedom of the press in campus publications. On Thursday
at 6:30 pm in 111 Lillis, the College Republicans and Democrats will be speaking about political
freedom and censorship in a joint panel.
._;
On Friday at 3:30 pm in the Ben Linder Room, Lee Mun Wah, famed filmmaker and diversity trainer,
will be on campus to screen his latest film, “Last Chance for Eden.” After the film, there will be an
opportunity to speak about the moving nature of the work.
We hope that even if our community does not take advantage of the above events, that they will be
aware of the campus climate, and if they see something that needs to be addressed, they will contact
the Bias Response Team through http://bias.uoregon.edu by stopping by the Office of Student Life in
164 Oregon Hall, or by filling out a report form that can be found in numerous locations throughout
campus. In addition, the ASUO Executive Office is another source of support and resources.
With respect and kindness,
The Bias Response Team Adam Petkun
ASUO President