Monongahela hosting march to protest human trafficking
By ERIC SEIVERLING
eseiverling@yourmvi.com
The city of Monongahela will join the fight against human trafficking when residents participate in the worldwide End It movement, a global effort to raise awareness for prevention and rescue of those impacted by slavery.
Today, Monongahela joins numerous cities by hosting an awareness gathering and walk beginning at noon at the Monongahela Police Department.
Monongahela police will escort the walk, which will finish at cfsbank on West Main Street.
Anyone looking to get a jump start on the walk can meet at 11:15 a.m. at Little City Coffee, where participants will receive 10% off their orders.
Monongahela resident and 2006 Elizabeth Forward High School graduate Amanda Dinardo is bringing the global effort to the Mon Valley.
“This is a worldwide movement to rise up and stand up against human trafficking,” Dinardo said. “I got into it by paying attention to it on Facebook. It enticed me, and here I am hosting my own event.”
According to the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime, human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons or modern-day slavery, is a crime that involves the exploitation of a person for the purpose of compelled sex or labor.
Victims can be found in legal and illegal labor industries, including child care, elder care, the drug trade, massage parlors, hair salons, restaurants, hotels, factories and farms.
In some cases, victims are hidden behind doors in domestic servitude in a home. Others are in plain view, interact with people on a daily basis and are forced to work under extreme circumstances in exotic dance clubs, construction, health and beauty services or restaurants.
According to the End It movement, there are more than 40 million people trapped against their will in slavery, with one in four of them being children.
From July 2018 through June 2019, the U.S. Office for Victims of Crime reported serving 8,375 total clients, including confirmed trafficking victims and individuals showing strong indicators of trafficking victimization.
“In my head, it was a Third World country problem,” Dinardo said. “But this is a problem right here. Human trafficking links into everything. It’s a worldly problem and it’s only getting worse. It drives me insane just thinking about it.”
For more information on the End It Movement, visit www.enditmovement.com.
