Human trafficking focus of women’s conference

Le Ly Hayslip

The second annual International Dialogue on Violence Against Women will bring global experts to campus to address the worldwide issue of human trafficking and its effects on women caught in various slave trades. The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Oct. 14 and 15 in the University Union Redwood Room.

“Human trafficking is a tremendous social issue that doesn’t get the attention it needs. There is no country where this doesn’t happen,” says Patricia Grady, coordinator of the Women’s Resource Center, which is organizing the event. “Typically, women are the commodity. And the problem is not limited to the sex trade. It happens in restaurants and sweatshops, in manufacturing and domestic service.”

The main speaker, author Le Ly Hayslip, will discuss her experiences growing up in war-torn Vietnam, where slave trades proliferated. Hayslip’s books were adapted for the 1993 film Heaven & Earth, directed by Oliver Stone.

The conference will include a screening of the film Daughters and Sons: Preventing Child Trafficking in the Golden Triangle, with commentary on human trafficking in Southeast Asia provided by Sacramento State professor Xin Ren.

There will also be discussion about trafficking issues in California, where there are efforts to pass legislation that deals with trafficking among migrant populations.

Tickets for both days are $50 general and $15 students and seniors. Tickets for one day are $30 general and $10 for students and seniors. Tickets are available from the Sacramento State Ticket Office at (916) 278- 4323 or Tickets.com.

Scholarships for tickets are available for students. For scholarship and conference information, contact the Women’s Resource Center at (916) 278-7388.