Shavers Participates in UNL's Human Trafficking Conference

UNL hosted the third annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, 333 S. 13 St., in Lincoln.

The conference format followed traditional academic paper-presentation lines. Academic experts, and those working anti-trafficking efforts through nongovernmental organizations including law enforcement and social service agencies, presented more than 40 international research presentations to the participants at the conference.

The documentary “Sex and Money: A National Search for Human Worth” was shown, followed with by a question and answer session. The panel included Morgan Perry, the movie’s producer; John Focht, a private detective; Amy Miller, Legal Director of Nebraska ACLU; and Anna Brewer, an FBI Special Agent. The panel was moderated by Professor Anna W. Shavers. This event is hosted by Nebraska University Students Against Modern-day Slavery, a UNL student group that has been in the forefront of bringing awareness to the issue of human trafficking.

Siddharth Kara, the author of “Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery,” delivered the conference’s keynote address. Kara is a co-winner of the 2010 Frederick Douglass Award at Yale University for the best non-fiction book on slavery. Traveling around the world, Kara has interviewed more than 1,000 former and current slaves, witnessing and confronting trafficking firsthand. He now advises governments around the world on antislavery research, policy and law.