Honors students address human trafficking

For the first time, students from the Phi Theta Kappa international honors society from Citrus, Mt. San Antonio and Irvine Valley colleges’ came together on Nov. 14 in efforts to raise awareness of human trafficking.

The agonizing stories of human trafficking victims were shared inside the Feddersen Music Recital Hall of Mt. San Antonio College.

Human trafficking is defined as the practice of luring, tricking or threatening people to work for little to no payment. Victims are often taken from their own homes and are exploited in other or countries.

The keynote speaker was a Dr. Annalisa V. Enrile, Clinical Associate Professor of USC and National Chairperson of General Assembly Binding Women for Reform, Integrity, Equality, Leadership, and Action Network. Enrile has campaigned against prostitution and human trafficking in the Philippines.

“After drug dealing, human trafficking is the second largest criminal industry in the world,” Enrile said.

Enrile’s involvement with human trafficking started while she was working to help World War II prostitutes who were termed LBFM (Little Brown F*****g Machine) by Western soldiers who were stationed in Asia.

Enrile points out that many victims of human trafficking are led to believe that they will be working good jobs with decent pay.

According to the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) there are approximately 600,000 to 800,000 men, women and children that being trafficked across international borders. Of those victims, 70 percent are female and 50 percent are children. 

At the beginning of the presentation, students from all three colleges read stories about victims from different countries.

Carolyn Perry, advisor to Phi Theta Kappa said, “These stories increase awareness as to just how desperate people in other countries are.”

Towards the end of the event, Maria Suarez leader and trainer in the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) leadership development program for survivors, talked about her experience with human trafficking.

Suarez, moved from Mexico to the United States with her family when she was 15. Together they settled in Sierra Madre where Suarez lived for a year.

According to police reports, at age 16, she met a woman who befriended her and offered her a job as a housekeeper.

Instead of working, Suarez was sold for $200 to Covarrubias, a 68-year-old retired railroad worker who at the time was living in Azusa. 

“He said he had bought me for $200 and that I was his slave,” Suarez said.
For five years, Covarrubias, who called himself a “brujo” or witch, raped her and physically and mentally abused her.

This went on for 5 years until one day on Aug. 27, 1981 a man named Rene Soto moved in behind Covarrubias’ house.

Soto stabbed Covarrubias to death with a table leg and told Suarez to hide the murder weapon and, as a result of her compliance, she served nearly 23 years in prison.

“This is my life, this is my pain. I share it with all of you so that you can understand.” Said Suarez.

“Human trafficking victims can be your brothers, your sisters, your parents, and your most loved friends,” said Suarez.
For more information log on to http://www.humantrafficking.org