17
SPOTLIGHT
JAN 2016
UMP
大學廣場
Students were entering the
“
pink room
”
Slavery Abolition in the 21st Century
Driven by this cruel and shocking fact, three nursing
undergraduates started digging into the issue under
the assistance of I.CARE Community Research
Programme. In Oct 2014, Beyond U - Students
for Anti-slavery was formed. It is a student group
concerning human trafficking in Hong Kong and
worldwide. As the name suggests, Beyond U aims
at empowering students to care beyond themselves
to fight the world's fight against modern slavery.
After one year of literature review, data collections
and interviewing lawmakers, NGO and official
representatives, Beyond U presented their findings
by launching its first awareness-raising campaign
- Anti-slavery Week on campus in the first week of
November. The four-day campaign was comprised
of human trafficking simulation, exhibition, movie
night, and lunch conference.
Simulation allows
p a r t i c i p a n t s t o
have a glimpse of
sex trafficking and
forced labour, which
are two predominant
f o rms o f s l ave r y
ex i s t i ng i n Hong
Kong. The venue
setting was based
on the team's visit
to former brothels
i n H o n g K o n g
a n d C a m b o d i a
earlier this year.
Participants got a
taste of what it is like
to be Cambodians
looking forward to improving family lives with false
promises of well-paying jobs. They were lured into
either sex industry for forced prostitution or exploited
as sweatshop labours.
It all started with a question: does slavery exist in modern day? How can it be possible in
this advanced and liberalized world? Sadly, the answer obtained is: slavery did not end with
abolition in the 19th century, not even in a cosmopolitan city like Hong Kong. According
to the 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report, Hong Kong is “a destination, transit, and source
territory for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour”.
Sex Trafficking Stimulation - students were forced
to hold price tag
Many students signed up as volunteers after the
Anti-slavery Week. This is just a beginning. Beyond
U plans to bring the campaign to the campus in other
universities and beyond universities. In addition to
awareness-raising, the team is going to organize
service trips to take local university students to
volunteer in the shelters in Cambodia. “This is what
we do, Beyond U is all about caring beyond yourself,
spreading the movement beyond university and
serving beyond Hong Kong.”
Exhibition about force labour and sex trafficking around the globe
Guests from NGO including Kathleen Ferrier (middle) shared their
experiences in the lunch forum
Handcraft accessories made by former trafficking-victims
