The HEART Initiative on human trafficking in our lives

Human trafficking is defined by the Humble Efforts Actualizing Real Transformation (HEART) Initiative as “the action of recruitment, harboring, transport, provision or obtainment using force, fraud, or coercion for labor or services.” On Wednesday, Oct. 24, the MSU Women’s Center held a Sack Lunch Seminar titled “Human Trafficking in Our Daily Lives” that discussed what human trafficking is and what it looks like.

Within the seminar the HEART Initiative, who also co-hosted the event, discussed the different products that are believed to be the source of the high levels of human trafficking. The first was coffee. Since Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee per day, coffee beans are the second most valuable export from expanding countries. They urged attendees to look for a label when buying coffee that says “Fair Trade Certified,” which essentially means that the plantation the coffee is grown on has been examined for human trafficking, and was found to be free of it.

The other product they spoke in length about were the raw materials that are used to make the electronic devices that 5 billion people use on a daily basis. The presenters said that a good deal of these materials come from Malaysia, where 90 percent of the workers employed are from other countries. Many of these workers are entrapped with extra fees and have had their passports taken away. The HEART Initiative recommended that they check the statistics of their electronics at knowthechain.org which shows a company's usage of these materials, and whether they’re gathered in a humane way. These companies include Apple, Microsoft and Samsung, along with many others.

The seminar ended with the presenters informing the attendees that human trafficking is a problem in Montana and the Gallatin Valley, and discussed how to spot some of its signs. Many times, people being trafficked are branded with tattoos like names or symbols, have someone speak for them, have few or no personal possessions, are sometimes in poor health, and show signs of fear. They said that the best ways to combat human trafficking are to raise awareness, stop the demand for products like pornography and illegal sex, be an informed consumer and get involved.

You can find the HEART Initiative on Facebook at facebook.com/msuheartinitiative or by visiting the Office of Student Engagement at montana.edu/engagement.