Unfortunately, human slavery is not a thing of the past. STOP Human Trafficking was a CSU, Chico student organization that worked to educate people about the shocking realities of human trafficking as it exists today. Through education, the organization hoped to spur others to activism and advocacy to end modern-day slavery. The presentations below took place during the organization's Human Trafficking Awareness Week activities in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017.

STOP Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking Training for Communities and Schools

Carissa Phelps, JD/MBA, Esq.
CEO/Founder Runaway Girl, Inc.
Stacy Jewell
Writer, Director and Producer
Jenna McKay
Advocate

Carissa PhelpsCarissa Phelps, Stacy Jewell and Jenna McKaye describe their journeys from being trafficked to becoming out-spoken advocates for voiceless salves. Ms. Phelps starts the presentation by explaining how easy it is to report suspected human trafficking through the sactac.org website. She continues with a documentary exploring her life on the street and how she and a few others turned her life around.

Stacy Jewell presents her story in dramatic fashion utilizing her powerful delivery.

Carissa returns to the stage to describe how the audience can become eyes and ears to stop human trafficking. And finally Jenna McKaye encourages everyone to ask questions to save lives. Presentation Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes | View Now

Labor Trafficking on Your Plate and in Your Closet

Kelsey Timmerman
Author

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyActivist Kelsey Timmerman begins his presentation by declaring, “I’m Kelsey and I’m a choco-holic!” He then discusses the exploitation – and sometimes outright slave labor – behind the food we eat (including chocolate) and clothes we wear. He has traveled to countries around the world and observed first-hand the horrendous conditions that trafficked laborers face – for example, the plight of workers in the African country of Ivory Coast who harvest cocoa for our chocolate. His quest to expose global labor trafficking and exploitation started when he noticed that a pair of his boxer shorts were made in Bangladesh; he then went to that country to see where they were made and by whom. What he has seen has spurred him to write a book, “Where am I Eating?” and to work to raise consumer consciousness. Presentation Time: 1 hour, 33 minutes | View Now

Sex Trafficking

Shamere McKenzie
Chief Executive Officer, Sun Gate Foundation
Keisha Head
Secretary, Board of Directors, Sun Gate Foundation

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyTwo survivors come together for a powerful presentation about sex trafficking and its survivors. In fact, Ms. McKenzie states she no longer considers herself a “survivor”; she prefers the term “liberator.” Drawing on their own experiences and the experiences of other women, Ms. McKenzie and Ms. Head tell chilling stories of how traffickers lure young girls into prostitution and how the sex trafficking subculture works. They also explore the societal factors that feed into sexual exploitation: in advertising, pornography, music, vocabulary, and others. The speakers present tips on how to spot signs of trafficking and encourage people to alert law enforcement. And for those who escape, they discuss the ongoing process of recovery and restoration. These two women have joined forces in the Sun Gate Foundation, which provides educational opportunities to survivors of human trafficking. Presentation Time: 2 hours, 17 minutes | View Now

Note: Scroll down this page to access Ms. McKenzie’s previous CSU, Chico appearances, at the 2013 and 2014 STOP Human Trafficking Conferences.

Human Trafficking - Awareness to Action

Carissa Phelps
Mike Laughlin
Keisha Head
Christina Rangel

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyCarrisa Phelps opens this program from CSU, Chico’s fourth annual STOP Human Trafficking Conference with a powerful speech and the background of having been kidnapped and sexually trafficked at the age of 12. She is a graduate of UCLA Law School, has written a book titled “Runaway Girl – Escaping Life on the Streets, and founded and directs the Runaway Girl Foundation. To combat sexual and labor trafficking activities that enslave an estimated 27 million people worldwide, she emphasizes awareness of potential trafficking situations in one’s own community and taking action.

Mike Laughlin, of the FBI, is private sector trainer for Central California Intelligence Center of the Sacramento Regional Threat Assessment Center. His agency collects information and channels it to local law enforcement. He explains exactly where and how to report suspicious activity to his agency that could be trafficking.

Keisha Head is a human trafficking survivor and advocate for victims in Atlanta. She talks about the importance of communities pulling together to help victims and providing a safety net of services for them so they can escape their situation.

Christina Rangel is a Redding resident who works with the FBI in Redding and Reno on sting operations on places where underage girls are being trafficked. She connects the victims to services – among them mentors, housing, counseling, and rescue homes for victims under 18. Presentation Time: 2 hours, 44 minutes | View Now

The GRACE Network

Chris Stambaugh
Founder and Director

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyChris Stambaugh returns to CSU, Chico to talk about the work of The GRACE Network, a Sacramento-based organization he founded that provides services to victims of human trafficking, especially sexually-exploited youth. The Grace Network continues to expand, growing from 12 to 1,400 entries in its resource database. The organization has now engaged with over 300 agencies/groups in the private, public, and religious sectors. Mr. Stambaugh also notes that The GRACE Network has working relationships with local law enforcement agencies. As CSU, Chico professor and anti-human trafficking activist Dr. Kate Transchel states in her introduction, it is hoped that a similar network of resources can be established in the North State region, including Chico. Presentation Time: 40 minutes | View Now

A Mother's Resolve - Run for Courage

Vicki Zito
R.N., Anti-Trafficking Activist, Mother of a Survivor

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyMs. Zito, the mother of a trafficking victim who was kidnapped from a grocery store parking lot, returns to the STOP Human Trafficking conference to follow-up on her previous appearance at CSU, Chico. She has joined with a group of other mothers to found an organization, Run for Courage, that raises funds and awareness concerning the problem of human trafficking, including funds for services for trafficking victims. She tells of her daughter’s eight-day disappearance, during which her daughter was advertised for sex on Craig’s List. After her daughter was rescued, Ms. Zito began to do research about sex trafficking, which led to her activism to educate the public about human trafficking and to make services available to victims and their families. Presentation Time: 16 minutes | View Now

Human Trafficking -- USA

Kelsey Cotton Wray & Renee Saechao
CSU, Chico Students

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyThis presentation provides a quick overview of human trafficking in the United States. Part of it focuses on trafficking issues close to home, as California is one of the top destination states of trafficking in the country. According to the FBI, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego are among the 13 highest child sex trafficking areas in the nation. And even closer to home, in 2013 Chico was one of the sites where federal agents made arrests as they broke up a large prostitution ring that reached from Chico to Stockton. Presentation Time: 13 minutes | View Now

The Demand for Sex Trafficking

CSU, Chico Students

The Demand for Sex Trafficking-Decorative use OnlyThis presentation begins with an eye-opening short film about prostitution and sex trafficking. The presenters examine the relationships among pornography, prostitutes, johns, and sex trafficking. They note that 1 in every 3 prostituted victims have been used in the production of a pornographic film. The presenters believe that pornography is the most common gateway to buying sex, and that it encourages violence and sex trafficking. They also question some of our cultural assumptions about pornography – for example, that it is natural, normal, and an appropriate rite of sexual passage for boys. Presentation Time: 29 minutes | View Now

Conflict Minerals & Human Trafficking - Raise Hope for the Congo

JD Stier
Film Producer

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyJD Stier worked with the Obama Administration on youth issues and now works to help break the links between minerals used in electronics and human trafficking in the Congo. In a presentation at Chico State’s annual STOP Human Trafficking week, he explains the link between these minerals from the Congo and the kidnapping of African boys to be soldiers and African girls to be slaves and prostitutes. These are among the horrendous human rights abuses in the Congo as the result of a deadly war among militia groups. The area is rich in minerals, and they are sold – to be used in our jewelry and electronics – to fund the sale of weapons to continue the war. Stier leads the Conflict-Free Campus Initiative, in which students in over 150 college campuses have organized programs and pressured their administrations to adopt policies for preferential treatment of tech companies that do not purchase these “conflict minerals.” During his presentation, Stier shows a film in which NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers urges students at the University of Wisconsin to join the cause. Presentation Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes | View Now

Survivor of Slavery - 2014 Stop Human Trafficking Presentation

Shamere McKenzie
CEO, Sun Gate Foundation

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyShamere McKenzie returns to CSU, Chico for another powerful presentation as part of the annual STOP Human Trafficking Week. As with her previous appearance the year before, Ms. McKenzie captivated and deeply moved her audience of 200 students, faculty, and staff, with her story about how she became a victim of sex trafficking. She is an internationally-known spokeswoman for the victims of trafficking and she also conducts workshops with law enforcement organizations. She courageously tells her story about how losing an athletic scholarship as a college student made her financially vulnerable; a vulnerability that eventually led to her being lured into sexual slavery. Ms. McKenzie also comments about aspects of our modern culture that foster a climate for sex trafficking and other forms of sexual abuse. Presentation Time: 1 hour, 54 minutes | View Now

Note: Scroll down this page to access Ms. McKenzie’s previous CSU, Chico appearance, at the 2013 STOP Human Trafficking Week.

The Essential Abolitionist: Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking

John Vanek
Consultant on Leadership and the Response to Human Trafficking

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyJohn Vanek is a retired San Jose Police Department lieutenant who spent 25 years in law enforcement. In 2006, he helped set up one of the first human trafficking task forces in California; he has been working on this issue ever since. Mr. Vanek notes that minors who are victims start being exploited at a very early age – the national average is 13-14 years old. He identifies the main factors that are particular to the trafficking of American children in the United States. He also talks explains the term “victim-offender.” Above all, Mr. Vanek emphasizes the complexity of this issue. Presentation Time: 1 hour, 3 minutes | View Now

Note: Scroll down this page to access Mr. Vanek’s previous CSU, Chico appearance, at the 2012 Human Trafficking Week.

Hidden in Plain Sight - Slavery in Your Community

Dr. Kate Transchel
Presented at TEDxChico 2013

Dr. Kate Transchel presents at TEDxChico in 2013Since 1999, Dr. Transchel has been researching modern day human trafficking around the world. Her findings, after interviews with dozens of victims, will surprise and shock even those who consider themselves well-informed. Besides working as a Professor of history at CSU Chico, Dr. Transchel provides trainings for various branches of the military as well as the State Department, on domestic and international human trafficking. She also serves as an expert witness on human trafficking from Moldova in Federal Asylum hearings.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. Presentation Time: 19 minutes | View Now

Survivor of Slavery - 2013 Stop Human Trafficking Presentation

Shamere McKenzie
CEO, Sun Gate Foundation

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyShamere McKenzie was in her third year as a student at an East Coast college. She attended with an athletic scholarship. Then she got injured and lost her scholarship. She needed $3,000 to finish school. She was recruited by a man who said she could earn the money by “just dancing.” What followed was a harrowing life of sexual, psychological, and physical abuse. Essentially enslaved by her pimp, she was taken from state to state. As she points out, “This is not in Thailand or China, but right here in the United States.” Not only does Ms. McKenzie tell her story, but she offers insights in how current American culture – from bachelor parties to Hooter’s restaurants to rap songs that glorify pimps – has contributed to the sexual exploitation of women. Finally, she explains her transformation from victim to a powerful advocate for justice. Presentation Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes | View Now

Note: Scroll up this page to access Ms. McKenzie’s CSU, Chico appearance at the 2014 STOP Human Trafficking Week.

Human Trafficking in Brazil

Laura Bovee
Ciara Brooks
Brooke Silveria
CSU, Chico Students

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyBrazil is a major country of origin for human trafficking. The presenters outline the extent of the problem, some of its origins, and what is being done to combat it. Internationally, the majority of trafficking out of the country is in the sex trade. Internally, trafficking is mostly for forced labor – victims come from both inside and outside of the country. It is estimated that 25,000 to 40,000 Brazilians are working in forced labor. Regarding the sex trade, prostitution is legal in Brazil. There are an estimated 500,000 child prostitutes (under age 18) in Brazil, at a per capita rate second only to Thailand. Presentation Time: 15 minutes | View Now

Human Trafficking & the Russian MOB

Samantha Hewitt & Taylor Webber
CSU, Chico Students

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyTwo CSU, Chico sociology students summarize their research on the major role of Russian organized crime in the trafficking of women to the sex trade and the selling of babies for adoption in other countries. They explain that Russian mobsters have proliferated since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The resulting political and economic chaos allowed them to get a strong foothold in Russia, a country with a large amount of domestic violence and no defined laws against organized crime. Russian criminals are working in casinos and brothels in Europe and Asia, as well as in 27 states in the United States. Presentation Time: 12 minutes | View Now

Child, Labor & International Trafficking: Survivors' Perspectives

Ellyn Bell, MA, LMSW
Executive Director, SAGE
Donna Sinar
Program Manager, SAGE

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyThe presenters are leaders of SAGE, an anti-human trafficking organization in the San Francisco Bay Area whose mission is to improve the lives of persons who have experienced or are at risk of sexual exploitation, human trafficking, violence and other forms of trauma. They share case studies to illustrate the depth of the problem of exploitation of very young victims. It is estimated that there are 27 million people enslaved world-wide; of those, 80% are female and 50% are children. From 2009 through 2011, SAGE workers aided children as young as 11 years old, Video Still Image - Decorative Onlywith 13 years old as the average age of entry into prostitution. They work on ways to treat the after effects of the victims’ trauma; 94% of their clients suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Part I: 57 minutes | Part II: 1 hour, 17 minutes | View Part I | View Part II

A Mother's Story

Vicki Zito
R.N., Anti-Trafficking Activist, Mother of a Survivor

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyMs. Zito is the mother of four children, including a trafficking victim. She relates that one evening her daughter did not return from a trip to the grocery store and was missing for eight days. The police classified her daughter as a runaway and did not search for her. Her daughter was finally found by an organization called the Innocence Lost Task Force through Craig’s List, where she was being advertised as “for sale” for sex. She had been kidnapped from a Safeway parking lot in a suburb of Sacramento, drugged, and transported to the San Francisco Bay Area. Ms. Zito now works to raise awareness of human trafficking and to make services available to victims and their families. She is involved in the “Run for Courage” events to raise funds for these services. Presentation Time: 18 minutes | View Now

Sexually Exploited in Sacramento

Chris Stambaugh
Founder & Director, The GRACE Network

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyAfter a history of street outreach work with homeless, sexually-exploited youth, Sacramento-based Chris Stambaugh is now a consultant with a federally-funded anti-human-trafficking coalition, the Rescue and Restore Program. He also is the founder of The GRACE Network, a faith-based group that connects with professionals in the Sacramento area who provide services to victims of human trafficking. Mr. Stambaugh has worked with over 250 sexually-exploited youth over the past four years, including victims as young as 13. He notes that this issue has been sensationalized, while what the public needs is a realistic picture. He is working to educate others about the depth of the problem and the depth of the trauma faced by the victims. Presentation Time: 39 minutes | View Now

Human Trafficking: Making Humans Invisible & Disposable 

Dr. Janja Lalich
Professor, CSU, Chico Sociology Department

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyDr. Lalich, in the first presentation of the STOP Human Trafficking Awareness Week at CSU, Chico, presents a basic overview of the world-wide problem of what is also known as Modern-Day Slavery. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act's (TVPA) definition of Modern-Day Slavery is "the exploitation of a person through force, fraud, or coercion for financial benefit." Transportation of the victim from one locale to another is not required in order to fit the definition, although that is often the case. Presentation time: 53 minutes | View Now

Human Trafficking IS Modern Day Slavery

Dr. Kate Transchel
History Department, CSU, Chico

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyDr. Transchel has been studying and advocating against human trafficking since 1999. Among other things, she describes world-wide patterns of trafficking/slavery. She also shows how seemingly legitimate "front" organizations that offer the opportunity to travel and/or work in a foreign country lure their victims into the black market of international slavery. Presentation time: 1 hour, 5 minutes | View Now

Get Informed -- It's Happening Here! Combating Modern Slavery

Lieutenant John Vanek
San Jose Police, Human Trafficking Task Force (Retired)

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyLt. Vanek contends that human trafficking may be the #1 social justice issue of our time. He outlines the challenges faced by law enforcement in combating the problem and suggests ways in which law enforcement can be more effective. He concludes with steps that people outside of law enforcement can take to help. Presentation time: 1 hour, 10 minutes | View Now

Please note: The audio for this presentation was recorded at a low volume. Viewers may need to increase their audio volume.

Human Trafficking: Modern-Day Slavery

Tanya Shannon
Director, Survivors of Human Trafficking Program, Opening Doors, Inc., Sacramento
Anise Shaw
Outreach Director, Opening Doors, Inc., Sacramento

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyOpen Doors of Sacramento began as a small refugee resettlement agency in 1993. The staff soon discovered that many of the refugees were victims of human trafficking. The organization now provides assistance to survivors and helps law enforcement to find the perpetrators. Two members of the Open Doors staff discuss who the victims are, the extent of human trafficking in the US and in California, the types of assistance available to survivors, and the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act. They also offer insight into the psychological and practical problems faced by the victims. Presentation time: 1 hour, 18 minutes | View Now

Slavery and Me

Michelle Anderson Curran
Associate Director, Chico Stewardship Network; CSU, Chico Alumni

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyBorn and raised in Chico, Michelle spent a semester of her CSU, Chico education studying abroad in Thailand and living in one of Bangkok's largest red-light districts. She lived and worked in a residence that reached out to girls and women working as prostitutes. Michelle shares some of the situations she encountered as an English teacher, roommate, and friend of trafficked victims, and discusses the often uncomfortable realities of living as a modern-day abolitionist after she returned home to Chico. Presentation time: 45 minutes | View Now

How to Be a Modern-Day Abolitionist: Justin Dillon

Justin Dillon
Musician/Filmmaker

Video Still Image - Decorative OnlyJustin Dillon toured world-wide as a professional musician before he started hosting benefit concerts for organizations addressing the problem of modern-day slavery. His passion grew into a “rockumentary” titled “Call + Response,” that combined critically acclaimed artists such as Moby, Natasha Bedingfield and Matisyahu, with social luminaries such as Cornell West, Ashley Judd, Julia Ormond, Nicholas Kristof and Madeline Albright. The film was named one of the top documentaries of 2008, and has helped raise more than $250,000 for front-line groups helping to free slaves and rehabilitate victims. In this presentation, Dillon explains how the sex trafficking industry works and also offers insights into becoming an activist. Dillon and the film have been featured on CNN, the Today Show, MSNBC, the Dr. Phil Show, the Los Angeles Times, and other media outlets. Presentation time: 57 minutes | View Now