500 miles in chains to end modern day slavery
24 July 2009 - Singer, songwriter Eric Proffitt will soon trade his music for his new endeavour - he is about to embark on a 500 mile journey to raise awareness on the issue of human trafficking.
On August 1, chained from head to toe, Eric will begin his 42 day quest and will run through major cities in the United States and United Kingdom. From the Statue of Liberty in New York to the graveside of abolitionist hero Williamberforce in London, Eric will not only carry heavy chains but a message of hope to fight modern day slavery.
"At least 27 millions people are already victims of human trafficking, they are suffering on a magnitude too staggering to comprehend" said Eric. The songwriter who attended the Vienna Forum to Fight Human Trafficking in February last year said he was inspired to take action by the work of the UN to combat human trafficking . At the conference, Eric realized the severity of the crime. Nearly 60% of people in slavery are children and over 80% of people living in slavery are used as sexual slaves.
"A drug can only be sold once, but a person can be sold over and over again in the same night, that is why human trafficking has become the second most profitable illegal activity in the world. People are not aware that this crime happens around us, it’s a global problem and actions need to be taken, this is clearly slavery" he added.
Entitled Run4 the Rescue, this walk hopes to raise US$1 for each of the 27 million people living in slavery, and to awaken the world to the reality of this crime in every major city across the globe. Proceeds from the race will be used by non-profit organizations to rescue and rehabilitate trafficked victims and to find and prosecute the perpetrators of human trafficking.
Eric chose this concept as raising awareness nowadays requires some thinking outside of the box. As so much already takes place virtually, walking 500 miles with chains would definitely draw some attention which he will use to shed light on the topic.
The father of five daughters wants to inspire people to take action and show the world that ordinary people can do extraordinary things and that each individual has a role to play if we want to abolish slavery and eradicate human trafficking.
To donate and for more information please visit: http://www.run4therescue.com/
This event should be published in every newspaper and on every tv channel in North America and around the world. It is scary to think not more is done to stop modern day slavery. Thank you Eric and family for your great sacrifice, with more like you our children and families would be much safer.