The Human Trafficking Awareness Program

Overview

The Human Trafficking Awareness Program at the University of Central Florida – supported by the Human Trafficking Awareness Fund of the Global Connections Foundation – is housed in the Global Perspectives Office. Established in 2011, it sponsors or co-sponsors public discussions featuring top speakers, panels and other presentations; encourages scholarship and research; and works with partners worldwide. The program is committed to providing a spotlight on 21^st Century slavery.

The Human Trafficking Awareness Program Advisory Board

• John C. Bersia, Special Assistant to the President for Global Perspectives, UCF (chair and program director)
• Francis Bok, Abolitionist and former Sudanese child slave
• Roger Handberg, Department of Political Science, UCF
• Amb. Harriet L. Elam-Thomas, Director, Diplomacy Program, UCF
• Maria Cristina Santana, Director, Women’s Studies Program, UCF
• Ron Soodalter, Abolitionist, co-author (with Kevin Bales) of The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today
• Sibille Pritchard, President, Global Connections Foundation

Join Us

Our public forums are free and open to the public. If you belong to a group that would like to reserve seats, please contact our Public Affairs Coordinator, Mark Freeman, for more information.

The program sponsors or co-sponsors co-curricular programs such as distinguished speakers, conferences and other meetings, including:

Upcoming Events

2011-2012 Events

• Rose Mapendo, humanitarian, activist and survivor of the Congolese genocide (Surviving Political Violence in the Congo: A Personal Story). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners.  September 20, 2011.
• Samantha Nutt, author of Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid, medical doctor and humanitarian (Damned Nations: Greed, Guns, Armies and Aid). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. October 25, 2011.
• “People Power, Politics and Global Change.” An international global issues conference, sponsored by the UCF Global Perspectives Office in a partnership with the National Conference of Editorial Writers, the Global Connections Foundation and others. October 13, 2011.

Previous Related Events

2010-2011 Events

• Francis Bok, Abolitionist and former Sudanese child slave (Escape From Slavery). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. February 1, 2011

2009-2010 Events

• Paula Allen, Human rights activist, photojournalist and author of Flowers in the Desert (Against All Odds: Women Around the World Demand Justice). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. February 4, 2010
• Ron Soodalter, Abolitionist, co-author (with Kevin Bales) of The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today and Board Member, Abraham Lincoln Institute. A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office, the UCF International Services Center and other partners. November 16, 2009
• Micheline Slattery, Human rights activist, and former slave in Haiti and the United States (21st Century Slavery: Living Proof). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. October 15, 2009
• Somaly Mam, Cambodian human rights activist, former slave and author of The Road of Lost Innocence: The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine (The Road of Lost Innocence). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. September 21, 2009

2008-2009 Events

• Kevin Bales, President and Co-Founder, Free the Slaves and author of Ending Slavery: How We Free Today's Slaves and Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy (Ending Slavery: How We Free Today's Slaves). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. January 15, 2009
• Naomi Tutu, The daughter of former Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, is a human-rights activist, has taught at several universities, and has led workshops on conflict and race relations. A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office, the UCF International Services Center and other partners. November 17, 2008
• "America’s Next President and the World," UCF. An international global issues conference, sponsored by the UCF Global Perspectives Office in a partnership with the National Conference of Editorial Writers, the Global Connections Foundation and others. November 6, 2008
• Beatrice Fernando, Abolitionist and author of In Contempt of Fate (Human Trafficking and Human Rights). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. November 6, 2008

2006-2007 Events

• Francis Bok, Associate, American Anti-Slavery Group, Boston, Massachusetts, and author of Escape from Slavery: The True Story of My Ten Years in Captivity - and My Journey to Freedom in America. A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. November 16, 2006
• Naomi Tutu, Associate Director, Office of International Programs, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee, and daughter of former Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. August 20, 2006

2005-2006 Events

• Hope Sullivan Masters, President and CEO of the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation in Washington D.C., and daughter of the late Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan (Corporate ethics: social responsibility in a global economy). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. April 6, 2006.

2004-2005 Events

• Samantha Power*, Public Policy Lecturer, Harvard University, and author of A Problem From Hell (A Problem From Hell: American Foreign Policy and an Age of Genocide and Terror). A program conducted in cooperation with the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. September 23, 2004.

2003-2004 Events

• "21st Century Slavery," UCF. A national forum sponsored by the Global Perspectives Office and other partners. September 18, 2003

The Francis Bok Human Trafficking Awareness Fellowship

The Global Perspectives Office at UCF and the Global Connections Foundation provide an opportunity for an outstanding undergraduate (at least junior level) or graduate student from a Central Florida college or university to serve as a Francis Bok Human Trafficking Awareness Fellow each Spring semester. For more information, please see our Fellowships page at http://ucfglobalperspectives.org/opportunities/fellowships

Those wishing to become more involved with the program have several options:

• “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ucfglobalperspectives
• Follow us on twitter at: www.twitter.com/ucf_global
• Contact us to be added to our email list by sending an request to: global@ucf.edu

Also, email us your suggestions at the address above. We enjoy hearing from our friends in the community about ways to improve our program.