http://youtu.be/bnPVhez8ODE
It is estimated that more than 27 million people worldwide are victims of Human Trafficking. Paso del Norte Center for hope tries to raise awareness of the issue, and brought the traveling exhibit SOLD: the human trafficking experience to Las Cruces.
The SOLD exhibit is multisensory and gives visitors the opportunity to walk in the shoes of 9 different human trafficking experiences. Rosa Silva, a Volunteer Outreach Specialist with the Paso Del Norte Center brought the experience to Las Cruces.
“We have sight,” Silva said. “So, we have it set up so that you can see the different locations, so that you can be able to see what it might look like. Also, we use the senses because we put smells in different rooms for example one’s a farm room in an apple orchard so we have the smell of apples. In the U.S. Hotel room we have the smell of perfume. We try to make it so it works on all your senses, your able to touch, see, feel, of course hear, and smell.
Visitors are given an MP3 player, that tells them a true story of human trafficking in every room.
“Every room has somebody specifically from that country that have recorded the tracks,” Silva said. “So, they didn’t want to find somebody who knew English that could fake the accent. They actually had people from those countries, so it makes it even more real. So, I was really impressed with it. I was happy that a lot of youth have gone through and they have been really impressed as well.”
Some of the rooms are interactive, and give you the opportunity to sign, donate, or express your feelings. At the end of the exhibit there is a camera, and visitors are given the opportunity to talk about their own experience. Silva says many find the experience emotional, and all leave more informed.
“We’ve been hearing that they really enjoy it,” Silva said. “That they were happy that we brought it, but it could be overwhelming, lots of information. They didn’t know that it happened the way that it was portrayed in there. Many of them didn’t know it happens here. They thought it only happened in other countries, so we made sure to focus on the United States as well, so they could see that.”
Silva says Las Cruces and the border region are an easy target for human traffickers.
“Especially since we have access to I-10 which is a human trafficking corridor,” Silva said. “It connects to every interstate going up North, so we could easily traffic people from the border all around the United States quickly.”
About 500 people visited SOLD over the 5 days that it was in Las Cruces, and Silva says she hopes to bring it back in a couple of months.
