Rotary Continues Sponsorship of Anti-Trafficking Program

The Westfield Rotary Club has continued sponsorship of a school in Thailand, part of the club's work on bettering the international community.

Working with the international YMCA, the project grew out of discussions born at a Y conference in the early 1990s. Bill Henderson, who coordinates the project for the local Rotary, said the goal of the program is to protect children in Thailand from the commercial sex trade and human trafficking.

Henderson said that currently 41 students are enrolled in the program with over 200 served over the life of the projects. He said the 33 girls and eight boys learn Thai culture and various life skills including farming while enrolled in the boarding school.

"They grow rice, vegtables and fruit," Henderson said. "These are all things to instill in them a later lifestyle."

The students stage various plays and radio broadcasts during the course of the school year to publicize child exploitation and the dangers of human trafficking. In addition the parents and teachers meet regularly to track progress and tackle issues relating to trafficking prevention.

The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 800,000 are trafficked worldwide annually, with the East Asian/Pacific region being the top area victims are trafficked from. In addition to the commonly known sex trade, many trafficking victims are sold into modern day slavery.

Henderson said preventing further cases of trafficking is a key part of the program and the Rotary has been working to increase education for teachers to learn how to prevent human trafficking.