Livonia Churchill grad Melanie Govan (center) has organized an event to raise awareness about human trafficking. Assisting her are (from left) Laura Furman, Diana Friend, Beth Brown and Ashleigh Bowne.
While most recent high school graduates are using their summer vacation to relax, connect with friends and enjoy fun in the sun before heading off to college in the fall, 2010 Livonia Churchill High School graduate Melanie Govan is using the time more productively.
She has created an event to generate awareness of the millions of people around the world who are victims of human trafficking, people currently trapped in modern-day slavery.
The event will be held 6-10 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Church of Christ on Five Mile Road, east of Levan, in Livonia.
Human trafficking is a crime involving the recruitment, transportation or harboring of people by force or coercion for the purpose of exploiting them. Many victims of human trafficking, particularly women and girls, are sold into the global commercial sex trade. Eighteen-year-old Govan first learned about the issue a few years ago when she attended a Paramore concert.
“The band's lead singer, Hayley Williams, talked about human trafficking, and I was shocked,” Govan said.
Williams then sang a song the band had written about child sex trafficking titled We Are Broken. Later, Govan saw the 2009 movie Taken, starring actor Liam Neeson, which also dealt with the subject of human sex trade. Her interest sparked, she began researching the topic.
“The more I researched, the more my heart was broken for these people,” she said.
Govan learned that modern-day slavery and sex trafficking not only exist but, contrary to common belief, it is not just a problem in other countries. Cases have been reported in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and several U.S. territories.
“I vowed I wasn't going to just sit around anymore,” she said. “I was going to find ways to help. There are over 27 million people in the bondage of slavery today.”
Govan and a team of teen volunteers are hosting, “Love Trafficking: A New Kind of Movement,” a free evening of live music, theatrical performances, coffee and snacks.During the event, people will have the opportunity to make a donation to Rapha House, (www.raphahouse.org), a safe house for women and children rescued from the sex trade. Rapha House not only provides rescued victims a safe place to live, but gives them vocational skills as well.
“Even when rescued from prostitution, sometimes people don't know what else to do because they have no other skills, so they fall back into that lifestyle,” Govan said.
Several teen musicians are lined up to perform at the event.
“All or most of our artists are on Facebook,” said Love Trafficking's music coordinator, Beth Brown.
They include Evan Lian, March 2010 Radio Caf√© Starving Artist Finalist and 2009 J.C. Penney “Schooled in Style” Breakout Performer, and Billy Medlin of the popular Livonia band, Adeline.
“Mainly we're going for a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere so all the artists that we have kind of fit that atmosphere,” Brown said.
In addition to musical entertainment, guests will see a performance by Novi High School's social issue theatre group, which will perform short skits designed to generate awareness and discussion concerning the topic. Two-time Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Stephen McGee will speak at the event as well. McGee has traveled throughout the Ukraine visiting orphanages and is producing a documentary to educate orphans around the world about the coercion tactics of human traffickers.
Govan's greatest hope is that the event will get the point across that human trafficking happens everywhere. And it affects all people, especially young women and girls. She wants people to understand that forced prostitution is form of human trafficking as well.
“I'm just praying a lot of people will come and learn about it,” Govan said.Local teens to hold human trafficking awareness event | hometownlife.com | the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies
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