Imagine being 13 and given a new identify and having no control over your own body. Human trafficking has been a big issue for a while now in which usually young girls are being bought and sold every day in our own communities. When people think of Nebraska, sex trafficking doesn’t usually come to mind right away, or even at all. Those people would be surprised at the number of sex trafficking going on everyday here, in Nebraska alone.
Four students decided to take this issue into their own hands and start the organization, I’m Not For Sale. Noelle Pick, a biology major, Maddie Schultz, an advertising/public relations major, Max Van Arsdall, an economics and marketing major and Alexis Hagstrom, a fine arts and psychology major have come together to raise awareness on this important and well-known topic focusing their outreach on sex trafficking in Nebraska.
Arsdall explains more about their organization saying, "I’m Not For Sale is a student-run campaign dedicated to raising awareness of sex trafficking in Nebraska. We help fundraise for the local nonprofit, I’ve Got A Name, which is dedicated to ending sex trafficking in Nebraska.” Recently hired as the executive director of I’ve Got A Name, Paul Yates has been a role model since these students have started their organization. Yates said, “We don't force our beliefs on anyone, that's really the foundation of who we are. We're a faith-based organization, non-profit, but the three pillars of what we do are to share awareness, take action and inspire.”
Arsdall who is a part of the Freshman Campus Leadership Association, or FCLA, was required to pick a topic to do a project on, for this organization in which sex trafficking sparked his interest. His friend recommended he talk to Paul Yates, who works for I’ve Got A Name and after their first meeting in October, he was set on working with him to create a campaign.
Arsdall said, “In January, I met with Paul again to gain more ideas of what I should be doing for the campaign and asking him to come speak at UNL. A couple days later I received an email from Alexis Hagstrom telling me about how she and a couple other Alpha Xi Delta’s had met with Paul about how they wanted to bring awareness about sex trafficking in UNL.” Pick added, “Yates gave us the discretion to do whatever we felt was necessary for the cause. From this, I’m Not For Sale was born.”
One important reason these students started this organization was because they are college students in which they can be great resources to spread awareness and reach out to for help. Young people should always be aware of their surrounding and never underestimate that it can happen to anyone. The Nebraska Commercial Sex Market Final Report revealed that more than 1 out of every 10 individuals sold for sex in Nebraska is too young to buy alcohol, yet buyers are purchasing them for sex.
Hagstrom said, “The average age of those being trafficked is 13. Campus is also a very vulnerable time for women, and all college students in general. It is difficult to make ends meet, and many do not have time to work a solid job. If an opportunity comes along to make some extra cash, they are more easily persuaded to say yes than an adult with solid income.” It’s hard to know who you can trust these days, so students should be looking for signs and always staying alert. Pick said, “Though we mainly advocate for people already involved in sex-trafficking, it is always important for young people to stay aware of safety and warning signs that sex-trafficking is occurring around them or if they are in danger of being trafficked.”
Thirty girls will be sold for sex today in Nebraska alone. This industry is flourishing and young girls and boys are suffering from this abuse every day. These victims live in our communities, cities, and neighborhoods and we need to be the ones who protect and rescue them. “There is power in numbers, and we need numbers to bring this issue to the attention of our local lawmakers. Right now, there is no law that protects victims,” Hagstrom said. According to the Nebraska Commercial Sex Market Final Report, 51% of individuals travel and 45% cross state lines in order to be sold for sex. It shows that 24% travel into the state of Nebraska on I-80 and that the smaller the local population is, the higher the likelihood that individuals sold for sex will travel in and out of the given market. Schultz said, “We chose to spread awareness here [Nebraska] because no one really thinks that it goes on here when sure enough it does. Interstate 80 goes straight through Nebraska with many truck stops along the way. This is a trafficking hub for victims, they can travel all the way across the state being sold at one minute and gone the next.” Being the central point in the U.S. is why sex trafficking is a major aspect when it comes to sporting events, like The College World Series. Pick said, “Nebraska is a huge center for sex-trafficking. The College World Series brings in a ton of business for the sex-trafficking industry, and there are countless other instances happening in towns big and small across the state.”
If there is any time to act, it is now. With all the opportunities flourishing to help spread awareness and benefit local organizations on this important issue of sex trafficking; it is time to act. Organizations like I’ve Got A Name and I’m Not For Sale are helping aid those suffering from sex trafficking or those who have previously suffered from sex trafficking in different ways, by making sure their voices be heard. “Our generation is the future, and if we can make an impact, in the here and now, that is later carried into the future by the students on UNL’s campus, we can make an even bigger difference than we can imagine,” Pick said. “I hope that I’m Not For Sale will show those kind of people that we know what is going on and we as young people are taking a stand against it. We can cause change if we use our voices together.”
