LAWTON – Elgin High School student Ben Schulke better understands the perils and dangers of human trafficking after his participation in an essay-writing contest.
Schulke finished third with his essay which was part of a contest hosted by Lawton-based The Red Cord, a nonprofit that focuses on educating people about human trafficking and ways to detect and deter the crime from happening.
Gideon Gish and Chase Pickett, both of Lawton, finished first and second, respectively. Both students are homeschooled.
Schulke, who will be a senior at Elgin in the fall, said his research into human trafficking alerted him to a problem with which he wasn’t too familiar.
“It (human trafficking) worries me,” he said. “It almost scares about what could have happened if I was born into a different situation.”
The three students were presented with cash prizes during a ceremony Sunday at the historic Mattie Beal Home. In addition, the three teens were asked to read their essays to the audience.
Schulke wrote in his essay that financial gain in the primary cause of human trafficking, but there are many underlying causes such as extreme poverty, lack of access to education and job opportunities, violence and “harmful social norms like child marriage.”
He pointed out that human trafficking happens in almost every country, including the United States, and that traffickers use “countless” ways to exploit people.
“Many traffickers lure victims in with promises of better lives, which isn’t very difficult in situations of crisis when individuals or families have no other option. Victims are also often coerced into forced labor by threats to them, their families, and their communities,” he wrote. “Traffickers may also force victims into indentured servitude after victims borrow money that they are unable to pay back. There are countless other situations that involve unique circumstances of trafficking, but they are no less inhumane; sexual exploitation of children, agricultural trafficking, involuntary domestic servitude are just a few examples.”
Through his essay, Schulke urged people to take responsibility in the fight against human trafficking.
“We need to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves,” he wrote. “There are many things that we can do to make a difference in the fight against human trafficking. Supporting anti-trafficking organizations like The Red Cord helps bring awareness to others about the dangers and warning signs of human trafficking and aids in the identification of and support for trafficking victims. Understanding the basics of human trafficking is an important first step to ending trafficking forever. If we work together to educate, advocate, and act against human trafficking, we can save lives from the terrors of human trafficking that plague this world.”
Ashley Chapman, vice president of The Red Cord, said each essay was “amazing.”
“This is not an easy topic for young people to delve into,” she said, as she told parents and friends at the ceremony that the teens developed a good grasp of the issue and its impact on the community and state.
For more information about The Red Cord, visit www.theredcord.org.