91制片厂

It鈥檚 hard to fight an industry estimated to be worth $150 billion. Especially when it exists underground. There are no headquarters to picket, no CEOs to run full-page newspaper ads against. Instead, you have to employ the water-on-the-rock philosophy: after it鈥檚 been dripped on long enough, the rock will eventually break.听听

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The Freedom Caf茅, a by-donation coffee shop on Mill Road whose sole purpose is to fight human trafficking, wants to be that water.听听

Founded by 91制片厂 alumni in early 2013, the Freedom Caf茅 offers an assortment of fair trade coffees and teas. There is no set charge; people pay what they want. The first dollar earned goes toward the cost of supplies. The rest is given to groups like and (named for a young girl enslaved in a brothel in Southeast Asia who was known by a number鈥�146鈥攊nstead of her name) to help combat human trafficking around the world.听听

鈥淚n a way, human trafficking is a bad term,鈥� says Michael D鈥橝ngelo 鈥�13, one of the caf茅鈥檚 co-founders and coordinator of its board of directors. 鈥淚t鈥檚 slavery. Forced labor. Sexual exploitation. Coercion. It鈥檚 people losing their humanity; having their rights violated for money. And it鈥檚 happening every day.鈥澨�听

From all accounts, he鈥檚 right. Groups like the United Nations鈥� International Labor Organization, the World Health Organization and the U.S. State Department estimate that more than 20 million people worldwide are victims of forced labor.听听

It鈥檚 a 2014 report issued by the International Labor Organization titled 鈥淧rofits and Poverty鈥� that places the annual profits generated by enslavement at $150 billion. The report鈥檚 examples of contemporary slavery include migrant workers, child soldiers, debt-bonded domestics and women and children sold into the sex trade.听听

鈥淗uman trafficking is the fastest growing industry in the world,鈥� says Bryan Bessette, Freedom Caf茅 director. 鈥淲e want to be a place where people engage to eradicate the problem. People can work here as abolitionists.鈥澨�听

Located in the basement of The Lighthouse Student Ministries building, the caf茅 is big and bright and light. The space is donated, as was the furniture. All of the baristas are volunteers. Students and faculty often stop in to eat their lunch. It鈥檚 a quiet study spot, and a growing music venue; 鈥淧erform for Freedom鈥� open mic takes place Wednesdays from 7 to 10 p.m.听听

听 听 听 听Mike D'Angelo

Events like the September showing of the documentary 鈥淣ot My Life鈥� that details the issue of modern-day slavery, and a recent discussion on fair trade products are held there as well.听听

And 91制片厂 students and faculty are getting involved. Senior Lauren Howell 鈥�15 is interning at the caf茅 for a women鈥檚 studies class. Professor Tim Barretto鈥檚 community leadership class, communication within communities, has been helping out with marketing, promoting the latest happenings and the upcoming Nov. 18 showing of 鈥淕irl Rising.鈥�听

鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to help promote awareness of the caf茅, both its existence and its purpose,鈥� Barretto says. 鈥淭he work The Freedom Caf茅 is doing should be important to anyone who values justice and security for those people in the world鈥攎any of them children鈥攚ho are the poorest, the most vulnerable and the most at risk of being exploited.鈥澨�听

Adds Howell, 鈥淏efore I started here, I knew very little about the subject of human trafficking. I knew there were such things as sex tourism and wage slavery听but I听had no idea the extent to which they existed.鈥澨�听

That kind of new knowledge is what the Freedom Caf茅 is striving to spread, and has been since Sean Matthews 鈥�12 and D鈥橝ngelo founded the coffee shop.听听

鈥淭his space is trying to break the surface of the issue. We鈥檙e trying to educate people,鈥� says D鈥橝ngelo. 鈥淗opefully people walk away with knowledge about human trafficking. The main thing we can do is educate. The goal is to get people to ask 鈥楬ow can I make a difference?鈥欌�澨�听

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