Twenty-seven students will stand by the Scramble Light for 27 hours straight to represent 27 million that are oppressed worldwide.
Ball State’s chapter of International Justice Mission members will stand from 9 a.m. today to noon on March 15.
The International Justice Mission’s campaign is called “Stand for Freedom,” where students stand for 27 hours straight in order to raise awareness and money for human trafficking.
IJM is a human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression.
Chris Kozak, Ball State’s IJM chapter president, said human trafficking is something that the student body should care about.
“It’s everywhere,” he said. “It’s in Indiana, it’s in the United States and if the people don’t know it is there, they can’t look for it.”
Students will be able to participate with the organization both days to show their support for IJM at the Scramble Light. The organization will hold signs with facts and quotes about human trafficking. Students will be able to donate money and stand in support of the campaign.
Kozak said the reason they will do this is so that they can spread the awareness of this issue to people.
“They can look out for these people who are being exploited, our brothers and sisters, these American citizens who are being exploited in this human trafficking industry,” Kozak said.
Stand for Freedom is a 10-day national campaign by IJM where high schools and colleges across the country come together to raise awareness about the presence of modern day slavery.
Becca Schafer, the vice president of Ball State IJM, said the event allows her to put her faith into action.
“It allows me to live out what I believe and it allows other students live out what they believe as well,” she said.
Kozak said this campaign has taught him the importance of everybody getting behind one idea that is important to all of them.
“Without doing that we can’t really cause any meaningful change in the world,” he said. “The organization for me has taught me a lot about myself and how we would go about confronting the situation of human trafficking as a generation.”
Students are able to get involve by supporting the events for IJM’s Justice week that is coming up during the week of March 18-23.
Schafer said this is a great opportunity for them to help engage in the fight of against human trafficking from Muncie.
“Not only human trafficking is an issue in Muncie but it is also a global issue,” she said. “So we can make a difference from right here in the way that we live our lives and also in the things that we do.”
Students can join the cause and find out information about IJM’s Justice week by logging onto Facebook and joining the group Ball State IJM.
