Slavery is often thought of as a thing of the past, but this month, modern slavery is the focus of the Kenefick Film Series. Dr. Wendy Wright, the Kenefick chair in the humanities, sets up the series every year; this year she wanted to focus on the issue of human trafficking.

“The sheer scope of it and the horror of it all defies the imagination,” she said.

Wright thinks that is important for Creighton students to know about this and other human rights issues.

“This is their world,” she said.

The film series spans five days, and it showcases five different films about human trafficking. The first film, which was shown Sept. 7, highlighted Central and South American immigrants and human trafficking

that occurs in parts of the U.S. The second film was shown Sept. 16 and focused on human trafficking in Bosnia and Kosovo. The next film will be shown Wednesday and will be centered on trafficking in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

In addition to showing a film at each event, Wright made sure to include discussion with faculty members.

“It has an emphasis on our faculty and extends the richness of the resources that we have on this campus,” she said.

Wright hopes that through this film series, students will become more interested in the issue of human trafficking and will want to do something about it.

“Students need to know that it affects everyone,” she said. “It is not just some small thing that exists far away.”

In order to continue the conversation on human trafficking once the film series is over, Wright partnered with McGloin Resident Director Emily Hunt, also the Cortina program director, who can work with students more easily because she lives and works in a residence hall.

Hunt became interested in the issue when she spent a summer in Nepal after graduating from Taylor University in Fort Wayne, Ind. in 2007. While in Nepal, Hunt worked with Tiny Hands International, an organization that helps women who were involved with the sex slave industry.

When Hunt returned to the U.S. for graduate school, she decided to learn more about human trafficking by reading about the issue.

“It strikes you at your core more than other things,” she said. “This really impacted me when I heard stories about these women.”

Now that she is working as a resident director at Creighton, Hunt hopes to spread the word about human trafficking to students. Through this film series with Wright, students are becoming more interested in the issue.

“After each of these films, I have 60 plus names of students who are interested in the ‘what next?’ and the ‘what can we do?’ aspect of it all,” Hunt said.

Both Hunt and Wright hope that the “what next?” part will continue with the Creighton chapter of Amnesty International, which focuses on human rights issues. On Sept. 14, the group had its weekly meeting and decided that human trafficking would be this year’s focus.

“It’s a huge issue globally, and it affects all societies,” Arts & Sciences senior Caitlin O’Brienand, also Amnesty International president, said. “It deals with the dignity of persons and human rights that everyone should be afforded, and it’s something people should be aware of.”

O’Brien said that because there are other programs and campaigns that are focusing on the subject this year, it will be easier for Amnesty International to spread awareness throughout campus.

This year, O’Brien said the group hopes to educate the Creighton community about human trafficking through a black and white color campaign, speakers and documentary showings.

While the group usually only focuses on one issue a semester, the issue of human trafficking could be spread throughout the entire school year, which is what happened during the 2009-10 school year with workers’ rights.

“We’ll start the semester by focusing on this issue and see how much we get done, so it depends on group dynamics – who wants to get what done,” O’Brien said.

Arts & Sciences sophomore Lauren Schoendorf attended the first film presentation and is now interested in learning more about human trafficking.

“I was very intrigued by the content, and I didn’t really know anything about it,” she said. “The thought that there is still slavery was a new topic for me.”

Schoendorf said that she would like to help people who are involved with human trafficking but knows that, as a student, she first needs to learn more about the subject and spread awareness.

She said she thinks it is important for Creighton students to understand this and other human rights issues.

“I think it makes people very grateful for what they do have, and it gives people a drive to help humanity and to work hard,” she said.

So far, the efforts of Wright and Hunt are going in the direction they hoped through the Kenefick Film Series and Amnesty International. Because of both of these programs, they will be able to spread more awareness about human trafficking throughout campus and generate more student involvement.

“I feel like you can have an impact wherever you are,” Hunt said. “Hearing about it, some people feel paralyzed, but it’s about taking small steps and being willing to incorporate it into your life.”