Gala Raises Awareness of Human Trafficking
By Nicole Gill Council, CouncilMag.com
Human trafficking is an estimated $150 billion criminal enterprise, according to the White House’s National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking. To raise awareness of this global issue, WEModel USA sought to educate and enlighten through the lens of fashion and entertainment. The WEModel USA 2022 Fashion Gala and Charity Event at the MGM National Harbor in April featured a who’s who of the capital region’s social scene with fashion designers, pageant queens and the media present.
This spectacular design is courtesy of Fanny Mpwo.
Patricia Watts, the creator of WEModel USA, crafted the event to highlight the circumstances in which human trafficking occurs. “In the community, you see suspicious activity all the time, but most people continue to walk by it and never think about what action they should have taken,” said Watts. “It’s a way of actually jumpstarting people to pick up the phone and make that call.”
“No woman or child should be forced into this thing called modern day slavery.”
Patricia Watts, WEModel USA founder
When Watts created WEModel USA, she decided to focus on global issues that impact women, such as human sex trafficking. “This is something that (models) can research … spread, use their platform to bring awareness to, but educate themselves so they won’t become vulnerable and exploited in this world of fashion and beauty.”
What Is Human Trafficking?
According to the U.S. Department of State, human trafficking refers “to a crime whereby traffickers exploit and profit at the expense of adults or children by compelling them to perform labor or engage in commercial sex.” It is “the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world, second only to drug trafficking,” according to the Human Trafficking Fact Sheet from the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.
Where Does Human Trafficking Occur?
Human trafficking occurs in at-risk areas in communities, Watts said. “And unfortunately, these are your low-poverty areas and where you have people” who run away from home, are homeless or live in single-parent homes, she said. “You’re always going to have a little higher risk of activity in your poverty areas where there’s drugs and alcohol and that leads to underage sex.”
Scenes at the Human Trafficking Museum.
Fashion Gala and Charity Event
Before the fashion show began, the Human Trafficking Museum showed models in settings alongside posters with facts and tips on how to combat human trafficking. The situations offered a window into how individuals can become victims of trafficking online, in prison, at a bus stop, on the playground, or as an addict.
A woman can become a trafficking victim in prison because “they have nowhere to go,” said Adelaine Powell, who sat inside a booth representing a jail cell. “They don’t have access to social media or to phone calls as much as other people do. And as women we’re very vulnerable in a place like this. We have to listen to those who are in charge of us, or we will face punishments that are unfair and unjust.”
Children also can become victims of human trafficking when they share their private information online. Watts cited games where people don’t realize they’re giving out all their contact information.
“Too many kids and girls, even boys, rely on the internet to do everything and spread all their information, which is not safe in any way,” said Lyrin Wiedman as she sat in the cyber booth with a laptop and cellphone. “In my opinion to stop fighting the cyber stuff, you need to stop putting a lot of your information online,” Wiedman said, adding that your contact information should not be in your bios on your social media pages.
“We need to as a people come forward and realize human trafficking is no longer a hidden crime and we need to keep it exposed.”
Lamont Easter, left, and Jana Sedlakova served as hosts during the fashion show.
Lamont Easter and Jana Sedlakova opened the fashion show as hosts. In addition to providing commentary on the designs making their way down the runway, the duo offered insight into human trafficking.
Human trafficking has long lived in the shadows. But events like the gala hoped to change that. “Education is the most powerful thing that us in the community can do to help protect our youth,” Watts said. It’s important to recognize the signs so that action can be taken immediately, she said.
How to Help
If you believe someone may be a victim of human trafficking, call the 24-hour National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 or contact law enforcement by calling 911.
