Special By By Melana Preston Oct 10, 2009 in Politics Costa Mesa, CA-U.S. government leaders and community activists convened for an anti-human trafficking meeting at Vanguard University of Southern California on Friday, October 9. Members of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force, community and social service providers, faculty and students attended the event. According to a February 2008 A 2006 “This is not just an international problem. Human trafficking is happening right here in the United States and throughout Orange County” Chief Hall reiterated. Hall also stressed the importance of “multi-disciplinary community task forces and multi-agency collaboration in the identification of victims and control of offenders.” Ambassador C. deBaca was appointed by President Obama in May 2009. C. deBaca serves as Senior Advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and directs the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. Ambassador C. deBaca asserted the importance of terminology in addressing the global issue of human trafficking, repeatedly emphasizing that human trafficking “is slavery and must be called so.” The ambassador also highlighted the success of American anti-trafficking efforts. “We are making a dent in the problem. The U.S. has convicted more people for forced labor offenses than South East Asia and the Middle East combined” he said. C. deBaca encouraged more conscientious consumerism and advocacy on global, national, and personal levels. “Slavery affects all of us” C. deBaca said. The ambassador cited the use of slave labor for tantalum mining in cell phone production in East Congo. He further pointed to slavery’s prevalent roots in the production of common household items like chocolate, coffee, and cotton. Ambassador C. deBaca commended advocates for demanding fair-trade and “slave-free” practices from manufacturers of these products. The ambassador also presented various anti-trafficking strategies to raise awareness on grassroots levels. Sandra Morgan, Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force administrator and Director of the Vanguard University Women’s Studies Program, moderated a brief Q&A session following the presentations. The session consisted of questions and comments from various local non-profit organizations and concerned students, individuals and community members. Jerilyn Stapleton, Co-Founder of the Hollywood chapter of the National Organization of Women, and Project Director for the Western Region Jewish Labor Committee spoke highly of the forum. “I was very encouraged by what the Ambassador had to say. His thoughts resonated with me and I am confident that with him in this position we will make giant steps forward to end human trafficking” Stapleton said. The “Community Forum Against Trafficking in Persons” featured Ambassador Luis C. deBaca, Orange County Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, and Westminster Police Chief Andrew Hall.Members of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force, community and social service providers, faculty and students attended the event.According to a February 2008 United Nations estimate , "about 2.5 million people from 127 countries have been trafficked to 137 countries for purposes such as forced labour, sexual exploitation, the removal of organs and body parts, forced marriages, child adoption and begging." Organizations like Not For Sale estimate that as many as 27 million people are enslaved globally today.A 2006 State Department Trafficking in Persons report estimates that between 14,500 and 17,500 people, particularly women and children, are trafficked into slavery in the United States annually.“This is not just an international problem. Human trafficking is happening right here in the United States and throughout Orange County” Chief Hall reiterated.Hall also stressed the importance of “multi-disciplinary community task forces and multi-agency collaboration in the identification of victims and control of offenders.”Ambassador C. deBaca was appointed by President Obama in May 2009. C. deBaca serves as Senior Advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and directs the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.Ambassador C. deBaca asserted the importance of terminology in addressing the global issue of human trafficking, repeatedly emphasizing that human trafficking “is slavery and must be called so.”The ambassador also highlighted the success of American anti-trafficking efforts. “We are making a dent in the problem. The U.S. has convicted more people for forced labor offenses than South East Asia and the Middle East combined” he said.C. deBaca encouraged more conscientious consumerism and advocacy on global, national, and personal levels. “Slavery affects all of us” C. deBaca said. The ambassador cited the use of slave labor for tantalum mining in cell phone production in East Congo.He further pointed to slavery’s prevalent roots in the production of common household items like chocolate, coffee, and cotton. Ambassador C. deBaca commended advocates for demanding fair-trade and “slave-free” practices from manufacturers of these products.The ambassador also presented various anti-trafficking strategies to raise awareness on grassroots levels.Sandra Morgan, Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force administrator and Director of the Vanguard University Women’s Studies Program, moderated a brief Q&A session following the presentations. The session consisted of questions and comments from various local non-profit organizations and concerned students, individuals and community members.Jerilyn Stapleton, Co-Founder of the Hollywood chapter of the National Organization of Women, and Project Director for the Western Region Jewish Labor Committee spoke highly of the forum. “I was very encouraged by what the Ambassador had to say. His thoughts resonated with me and I am confident that with him in this position we will make giant steps forward to end human trafficking” Stapleton said. More about Ambassador luis debaca, Slavery, Human trafficking, Orange county ambassador luis deba... slavery human trafficking orange county