Morningside Connect

Students, organizations, faculty, and President John Reynders stood on the ‘M’ for the stand against human trafficking, taking turns over a 24-hour period. This event, organized by students in the political science course Human Rights and Women’s Rights, was held to raise awareness and support for the Siouxland Coalition Against Human Trafficking. The Siouxland Coalition is attempting to establish a restoration house in Sioux City for trafficking survivors.

Students were invited to stand on the ‘M’ with blue T-shirts that bore the number 4.5 million, which signifies the total number of victims of sex trafficking. The ‘M’ was decorated with informative signs and statistics about the issue of sex trafficking locally and globally.

Members of the Morningside College Choir joined the stand and piqued additional interest with a vocal performance.

A panel discussion on the topic of sex trafficking was held Tuesday, April 5^th. The panel included four different areas of expertise, including representatives from the Centers Against Abuse & Sexual Assault, Bruce Hogel from the Sioux City Police Department, Bernadette Rixner from Siouxland Coalition Against Human Trafficking, and Libby Claeys from Sk8 to End Sex Trafficking.

The Stand Against Human Trafficking will become an annual event to continually raise awareness and gain support for victims of human trafficking.