Broward College to Hold Conference on Human Trafficking

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (March 24, 2015) – In recognition of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Broward College, in partnership with Free the Slaves and the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking, will host a human trafficking conference. “Honoring Victims of Slavery Then & Fighting Slavery Now: Abolition of Child Domestic Servitude in Haiti” will take place on Wednesday, March 25, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Broward College’s Bailey Hall, 3501 S.W. Davie Road, Davie. This day-long event is free and open to the public. Working media are also invited to attend.  

The keynote speaker will be former child slave and survivor Marie Alina “Tibebe” Cajuste, who has been advocating and raising awareness against the practice of restavèk, or child domestic servitude, for more than a decade. As a member of Beyond Borders' Child Protection Program, she brings her passion and life experience to leading a growing advocacy network of survivors of restavèk. Cajuste is also an experienced facilitator and leverages personal experience to facilitate healing dialogues for small groups of survivors of restavèk. She is also a veteran member of Women’s Victims Coalition for Victims, where she supports survivors of sexual abuse. 

Other speakers include Georges Bossous, Jr, executive director, Word and Action, Inc; Evelyn Chumbow, survivor and advocate for ATEST; Christy Gillmore, senior program manager, Free the Slaves; Coleen Hedglin, grants manager, Beyond Borders; Leonie Hermantin, development consultant and advocate for Haitian non-governmental organizations; Reid Maki, coordinator, Child Labor Coalition; Smith Maxime, Haiti director, Free the Slaves; Andrea Mercado, campaign director, National Domestic Workers Alliance; Guylande Mesadieu, coordinator, Zanmi Timoun; Maurice Middleberg, executive director, Free the Slaves; Diem Pierre, technical assistant of the general director on human trafficking, Haiti Government Institute for Social Welfare and Research; and Katariina Rosenblatt, survivor and founder, There Is Hope For Me.

For more information or to register, visit www.broward.edu/freetheslaves, or contact Angela Nicoletti at 954-201-7939 or anicolet@broward.edu.

-BC-