It's my last week in Taiwan, and words can't describe what I'm feeling at the moment. On the one hand, I'm frantically trying to finish a report I'm writing for the office, and at the same time, I want to spend as much time as I can with everyone here. I am not ready to leave--I've become so attached to this place, to all the great people I've met.

I could never have prepared myself for this experience. I can honestly say that it has been life-altering. It has opened my eyes to the gross injustices of this world, and at the same time has reassured me that people who are truly committed to human rights and human dignity have a great capacity to make the world a better place. I can only hope that I can follow in the footsteps of these individuals--true defenders of social justice-- those whom I've been lucky enough to work with over the past few months. And, I cannot express my deepest gratitude and love for my brothers and sisters at the shelter. They have made me feel like I am family. It hasn't quite sunk in that I will be leaving them soon, and I'm trying not to think about it.

It seems that working to combat human trafficking is an endless fight. This doesn't mean we should give up, but hopefully it will encourage us to fight back with an even greater strength and ferocity.

We recently had a new person come to the shelter who had his had completely severed in an accident at work. Things are very complicated for him right now as this accident occurred while he was "illegally" employed. I put that term in quotes because in many of the cases where laborers work oustide of their contracts, they are only doing so to escape abusive and exploitative conditions, or because their contracts were not met in the first place. This individual now has no way of paying his medical expenses as he had no insurance under that employer.

When the police discovered his situation, they were immediately ready to repatriate him and they were going to do this without investigating the facts of the accident and attempting to get him compensation of any kind. It seems that to the law enforcement authorities here, laborers are a real burden and any kind of help or service they provide to migrant workers is meant as a favor to them. In the time between his initial surgery and time under police custody, he was supposed to take great care of his hand and his bandages needed to be replaced every eight hours. The police completely ignored this fact and his hand was left without proper care for two days. It then became severely infected, and now it seems that parts of tissue will have to be removed and it isn't a guarantee that he will have any use of that hand in the future. If the police even cared to take him to the hospital this situation would not have occurred.

When the police eventually took him to our office, they had every intention of just leaving him here so that they wouldn't have to take responsibility for him. They didn't want to trouble themselves with the case. But as our office found out the unethical and negligent abuse by the police, we are now fighting with them to investigate the case. It's all very complicated, but the people at the office are doing everything in their power to see that this individual is given the basic rights of medical care and an investigation into the specifics of the accident. The police had no intention of carrying out these things, and this is just another example of the unfair and unethical treatment of migrant workers in Taiwan.

I am learning so much everyday--it's overwhelming, but in a good way. And it's the type of learning that I could never hope to get from a book, or from a lecture by one of my fabulous professors at UCSB. It's a more personal education, I would say. Talking to my brothers and sisters at the shelter has allowed me to get up-close and personal with what it is to be human, to struggle, to love, to sacrifice. I constantly feel like I want to write down everything they are saying, but that would be quite impossible. There are so many great stories, personal journeys, instances of defeat and triumph; I don't know what else to say, but that this is the best learning experience I have ever had, and, it's not over yet. I was telling a friend how being here, working in a shelter for victims of trafficking and labor exploitation and other types of inhumane treatment, affords many opportunities for existential crises. I guess what I'm trying to say is that listening to the life experiences of the people here, I constantly wonder why I am where I am in life. Why am I living in beautiful and sunny Santa Barbara completing my graduate education when my roommate could only dream of completing high school? Suddenly all the things that I worry and stress out about seem so unimportant. Really, why is life so random and unfair?

Hello VietACT supporters!

This is Vanessa, VietACT Intern - Summer 2006. I want to applaud Caroline for the great work she is doing for the human trafficking survivors in Taiwan as well as the great writing and updates she is providing for VietACT locally here in the States and worldwide. For those California-based VietACT supporters, please see the following note from Van Le at VietACT:


Senator Lou Correa's Office, The Women's Transitional Living Center and VietACT are hosting an Evening of Awareness for Human Trafficking.

The event will take place on October 2nd at 6pm-8pm at the Westminster Rose Center.

The program will include a documentary film, testimonials from 3 human trafficking survivors, a discussion panel..and hopefully other VietACT talents such as Spoken word or singing...



Please contact vanle@vietact.org if you are interested in volunteering for the event! We'll see you there!

Peace, love and freedom

Vanessa

Hello! Apologies for the lack of updates. I just returned from a visa-run to Thailand--it was quite beautiful by the way. I'm now back in the office and it feels busier than ever. Anyway, I neglected to post this before, but here are some of my notes on the Public Hearing on Workers' Rights in Taipei in early July:

11 July 2008

There was a public hearing with Taiwanese legislators, labor organizations, scholars, activists, etc., at the parliament building in Taipei. The topic of the day would be the issue of home-care workers’ rights especially in terms of time off. Currently foreign migrant laborers in home-care have no legal protections. There were several organizations present, including the Taiwanese International Workers Association (TIWA) and the Migrant Workers Alliance. From our organization, those present were Cha Hung, Chi Loan, Chen-Chen and some ladies from the shelter. There was a pamphlet given out concerning the protection for workers’ rights and interests and a comparative analysis between labor practices in Taiwan and other Asian countries/regions such as Hong Kong. I was very lucky to have Chen-Chen there for a portion of the hearing to translate for me. It was an open forum for discussion about any and all issues concerning the rights of these workers.

What is currently happening in Taiwan is that there is a substantial amount of elderly people relative to young people in the country. Of concern also is the disabled population. Families are thus increasingly becoming reliant on foreign laborers, especially women to fulfill the role of care-taker. Most of the time, workers are required to work on an average of 9.5-13 hours/day with no days off because these individuals need this type of constant care. The issue of protecting these workers have been talked about in the same way for the past several years without any real gains on changing policy. The strong sentiment present that day called for state intervention as the best and only solution in solving these problems. These workers are merely asking for basic legal protections and the right to time off. There are approximately 160,000 total foreign home care workers (“modern-day slaves”) in Taiwan.

Cha Hung also spoke at the hearing. He notes that brokerage companies suck money out of workers and that they have no basic freedoms. Their papers and legal documentation are confiscated by their brokers. Taiwan is mostly seen as a modern democracy, but its track record in the human rights department leaves much to be desired. He told the story of a woman who killed her employer and then tried to kill herself because the situation was so bad. This woman was not covered under any labor laws.

There is also the issue of local domestic workers. They cannot find jobs and blame this on foreign workers.

Long working hours have been an issue for quite a while. What kept being emphasized by those opposed to new legislation was that home-care workers/employers have different needs and thus cannot be ruled under the same laws and regulations as other types of jobs. With issues of labor regulation/exploitation, ENFORCEMENT is a big issue. Many of the times, workers are made to do things that they simply did not sign up for. A particularly salient question is: How do we go about monitoring these unjust practices?

It was nice seeing the great solidarity among the workers and proponents of social justice gathered in a forum to voice their rights and concerns, although it was unclear what kind of headway in terms of potential policy change was made that day.

"Running away evokes the era of slavery; You leave your job, but you run away only when enslaved," (Haddad in "A Modern-Day Slave Trade: Sri Lankan Workers in Lebanon.")

A few weeks ago, we had two ladies come into the office after hours at around 10:00 pm. They were only able to come at this time because they worked 15-hour shifts and this was the only open slot in their schedules. I was able to sit in on their meeting with Cha Hung where they told him that they worked in a convalescent home and were put in charge of the fifty people on their floor. This being the case, there was ALWAYS something to do, and they barely had time to breathe. Their employer also forced them to administer injections to the patients, procedures of which can only be done by medical professionals (this is another legal infringement in itself and a whole other story).

The women desperately wanted to find a new job because this one was clearly exploitative. They also mentioned that their supervisor was extremely verbally abusive and they could no longer tolerate working under such miserable conditions. Luckily they were able to video record the working condtions on their cell phones and so we have clear evidence of the labor exploitation that they had to endure. As they were telling their stories, I could hardly believe that anyone could put up with such treatment. I am realizing more and more that these people who have come here to work and make an honest living are some of the most strong-willed and courageous people I have ever encountered. They sacrifice so much and are pushed to the breaking point.

Again, this is but one of the MANY cases that is being handled at the VMWBO. And as much as the office is doing, we have to think of the people who have not been lucky enough receive help and guidance. It is only the tip of the iceberg in battling modern-day slavery.

Apologies for the lack of visuals in previous posts, so here you go--a smattering of photos which will hopefully give you a tiny glimpse of life at the VMWBO:

Also, I am technologically inept so instead of having the captions right above the photos I will describe them here: 1. Students hard at work, 2. Making "ruoc" (shredded and dried pork), 3. Bbq to welcome Cha Cuong back from the States, 3. & 4. The men made a beautiful bamboo cot which sits in our patio

Four of our brothers left last week because they were able to find new jobs. It was a happy day for them, but also bittersweet as we shared some good times and talks and now I probably will never see them again. As they were getting ready to leave with their backpacks and roll-away luggage, the rest of us stood to bid them goodbye with hugs, handshakes, and high-fives. I wish them the very best--it's the least they deserve.

Last Tuesday, one of our case workers had to go to a police station to translate for four men (boys, really) because they were confined by their employer and now were being detained . When we got there, they were essentially being held in prison although they had done nothing wrong. I saw no reason for that kind of treatment. To be fair, before these men had worked at their current employer, they had "escaped" from their previous employer because their contract was not met. This is considered illegal under Taiwanese law, but at the same time it is against the law to not fulfill a binding contract. I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure this is illegal. If I paid inordinate amounts of money to a broker, then later became exploited and abused, I would also leave that situation. I can't blame these people for doing what they did. They were defrauded. Anyway, one of the police officers spoke some English and he actually asked me what I thought of human rights in Taiwan. A very general question, but I gave him a candid answer based on the people I've spoken with and my experiences thus far. Obviously I was being put on the spot, but I thought I gave a very civil, yet honest answer. He agreed with me that the broker system needed to be fixed. It was an interesting conversation. Also I must say that people took their time around that office. We didn't get home until 5am. A long night, indeed, but I learned a lot.

Classes are fun. We started dance classes with the Cha-cha-cha. I have two left feet myself so I watched a bunch of YouTube videos. We sure worked up a sweat and had lots of laughs. So far in English classes, we've gone over general introductions, numbers, talking about family, colors, days, months, and birthdays, etc. I try to incorporate games whenever I can and always have treats as incentive to participate. Candy always helps! Everyone is pretty great at being open to learning. We also have six new computers at the shelter now and I am currently trying to link them to the internet--I wish I was more IT savvy.

Also, sorry for the lack of pictures...they will be up soon!

Doing research and speaking with people who are directly dealing with the issue of human trafficking in Taiwan has been saddening, yet thoroughly interesting. In Taiwan especially, the issue of trafficking is strongly tied to issues of labor exploitation, specifically in regards to the broker system. It is a systematic yet complex web that involves the exploitation of the economically marginalized, deceit, and abuse. These brokers (both Vietnamese and Taiwanese) charge obscenely large fees to laborers who are already financially disadvantaged, and then subsequently put them in sub-standard work environments which were not specified in the contracts. Also, these individuals end up being paid less than what the contracts specified, or not given enough work to do, which places them in an especially precarious situation as they all have lingering debts to pay. Many times, laborers do not work in one single place but are transported (read: trafficked) to multiple work sites depending on where labor is needed.

So far, through talking with many people here, it is the debt (and the interest which continually accruing) which is particularly worrisome and a great source of psychological stress for these individuals. People here at the shelter are obviously not making an income while they are here, and everyday they think about the money they could be and should be making. The whole situation makes me extremely sad for my fellow brothers and sisters, and it makes me extremely angry at humanity. I consider myself a relatively optimistic and hopeful person, but when people knowingly deceive and exploit others, I can't help but be frustrated and cynical. How can a human being treat another human being in such a manner? That is the question of the day, and perhaps, many days to follow.

My days have been very full (and fulfilling). Planning for classes, teaching, visiting the detention centers, and weekly meetings with Cha Hung have comprised the weekly routine for me. However, every day is different and exciting. Currently, I am starting a research project (it is definitely in its infant stages) that will utilize a database we have on victims, along with interviews and narratives from individuals in our own shelter to come up with a report that will gauge/challenge the Taiwanese government in its engagement with aspects of prevention, protection, and prosecution as they relate to human trafficking. Although the VMWBO is a non-profit organization seeking to help these individuals at the grassroots level, anything we can do to possibly affect change at the policy level would be a crucial step forward in eradicating this heinous human rights abuse. And even if we were only able to shed some more light on the issue and make more people aware, we will have made progress. I must say, research projects are hard, especially when there are so many angles from which we can tackle the issue, but I'm sure we wouldn't be dealing with this problem if there was an easy solution.

On a lighter note, I tried stinky tofu (Taiwan's national snack food) for the first time with one of my sisters here at the shelter. Frankly, I don't care too much for the flavor (although I did have three pieces)...maybe it will grow on me. However, I do fear that I've become a boba addict and I should stop now before the problem gets out of hand. It's just so satisfying at the end of a hot day (and it's so cheap--1USD for a huge cup!). Last week, I went four times, every time with different people.

I feel very fortunate to have made these new friends. I am learning so much from them (and I can only hope they are learning from me as well). And although a main component of this internship is for me to get to know the victims and retell their stories so as to spread awareness, when I talk to them, we don't always talk about their problems as pertaining to the issue of trafficking (thank God), but we talk about sports, their childhoods, their families, their hobbies, their hopes. I guess what I am trying to say is that these people are not just names in file folders or living specimens that I get to observe and interact with, but they are human beings and also my friends and I will have to say that this is what is most important.

Dance classes have been postponed until next week because of scheduling conflicts. Now, who remembers the Macarena?

The office is a bit quiet today as there is a massive storm throughout the country and thus the government has issued a day-off for (all?) workers. Currently, the wind gusts and rain are furious and the news says that it will continue for the next two days or so. This is all very new to me. On the bright side, it is a little cooler now (but still sticky).

Last week I went to the Sansia Detention Center with Cha Hung. We rode up the elevator to where the detainees were staying and I was genuinely shocked to find that these people were behind metal bars--treated as if they were criminals. I was not expecting this at all, but this is precisely how the government is treating these individuals because they have no legal documentation, or escaped from their employers (I don't blame them). These people are victims of deceit, abuse, and exploitation, and yet they are further being victimized by the system.

I was able to talk to some of the victims individually and one woman cried to me about how she has kidney problems and it is very painful for her to even get out of bed, eat, etc., but she is not being properly treated for her condition. I tried to fight back tears as she told me her story about she was over-worked by her employer and basically did not get any time off. She was treated horribly--for example, she explained that she was only given the left-overs of what the family had already eaten, and most of the time they were just fish bones or other things that were inedible. She was not even considered a human being to these people. At this point, I could no longer hold back my tears and I reached for her hand through the metal bars.

Another women I spoke to was telling me how she was cheated of her wages and was waiting to get the money that she deserved. She also expressed that she would rather stay in the detention center than go home (to Vietnam) empty-handed. She had accrued a huge amount of debt in order to get to Taiwan, and (through tears) told me there was no way for her to go back if she did not make the money to repay these loans. She tells me she misses her family immensely and it pains her that she can't go back home.

I remained silent on the car ride back to the office.

A typhoon passed through Taoyuan last week--it was really rainy and windy, but very welcomed as a short reprieve to the heat. I also met the Turtle which apparently comes by every time it rains. I've actually met a whole host of animal friends this past week including beetles, frogs, and puppies. Last Friday, we also had a bbq to welcome Cha Cuong back from the US. It was great fun, the people here sure know how to cook! And the feasting was followed by none other than a volleyball tournament.

Yesterday, after lunch, I had some time to talk to one of the ladies here who I haven't really gotten to know yet. She told me about how her broker had confiscated her papers, lied to her, and made her do more work than she was supposed to do. Apparently, when this broker served as the interpreter between her and the employer, he just conveyed whatever he wanted to and did not communicate what the employer would say. We sat and talked for about half an hour before I had to get back to the office. I could see in her eyes and the way she told her story that she was trying to fight back tears, and I kept thinking how brave she was to have come here to give her family a better life--she noted that her son is now at university and is a computer whiz. She spoke very highly of him and you could tell that she was a proud mom. It's nice to know that her efforts and sacrifices are being put toward a better life for her children. She is hoping to learn more about computers also (actually most people here are very enthusiastic about them), so our weekly class on the basics is something they look forward to.

A recurring sentiment I've been hearing is the fact that although these women have been abused, mistreated, cheated, exploited, etc., they do not want to go back to Vietnam empty-handed. First of all, they have made so many sacrifices coming here--paying the fees, leaving their loved-ones etc., and to not have anything to show for it when they get home is just more than they can bear. So most of them hope to be able to switch employers and just find a decent job.

What is so frustrating and infuriating about these situations is that these brokers/employers prey on these people's vulnerabilities and take advantage of them because they cannot speak the language and do not know what their rights are. These brokers cannot legally confiscate papers for indefinite amounts of time. I can hardly imagine if I was in the same type of situation--coming to new country, not knowing the language, and just wanting to make an honest wage to feed my family at home. It is disheartening that these innocent people are being exploited in this manner. Cha Hung teaches a weekly class called luat lao dong (which roughly translates to 'labor laws') to inform people on their rights as workers. It is just one more way that these people are becoming increasingly empowered.

On the agenda tomorrow: a visit to a detention center with Cha Hung.

We have a new young brother at our shelter now who is seriously ill. I don't know the full details, and even if I did, I would not be able to share them on this blog, but the situation is devastating to say the least. This individual is younger than I am, has been working in Taiwan for more than a year, and his brokers want to send him back to Vietnam even though he will have zero or no chance of getting treatment as he would not be able to afford it. We would like to take him to the doctor here in Taoyuan, but since his brokers have his papers and documentation, it will be a challenge to seek out the proper medical care. It is truly saddening, and I feel so helpless. It is instances like these--the actions of people like these heartless brokers that makes one slowly lose faith in humanity. But on the other hand, it is people like those in this office, and those fighters for social justice and peace around the world that are slowly tipping the balance.

Last night, at dinner, Cha Hung received a phone call on his cell phone from an individual who had been fired from her employer and then subsequently taken in by her broker and handcuffed for 4 days. She eventually was able to call Cha Hung, and he is now busy trying to mediate the situation. I believe the police are involved now, but who knows how this case will end up? At the end of the day, Cha Hung told me that he was tired, and this is a strong statement coming from him.

I can't believe it is already my third day in Taiwan; time flies when there is so much to do. I think I've gotten to know most everyone's names--I just hope I can remember them. I feel like I see a new person at the shelter everyday. I find it amazing that given the situations they are in, the majority of them are very cheerful and are eager to talk to me. I've gone on some excursions with a few of them by happenstance, and they were all delightful adventures. One day I went to Taipei with a sister to buy a cd, and yesterday I went with three people to check out laptop computers. They all seem to be very fun and eager to have a good time.

On Friday, Cha Hung, Chi Loan, Chen Chen, a few of the sisters at the shelter, and I attended a public hearing with Taiwanese legislators and other government officials concerning the lack of protections afforded to migrant laborers--specifically those engaged in home-care. It seems the government has been "all talk and no action" for the past several years on the issue, and this hearing was a forum for any and all to voice their frustrations with the current system. As the discussion was obviously in Mandarin, I am extremely grateful to Chen-Chen for being my personal interpreter...you are the best! There were also many labor-rights organizations present and it was a great sight to see the solidarity that was present that day. My notes are currently at home so I will post more on this topic in a subsequent entry.

I start officially teaching next week and am a bit nervous, but I think it will be fun. Getting to the shelter, I was actually surprised to find that there are about an equal amount of men and women here so I want to incorporate activities that are gender-neutral. I think dance lessons will be fun (the ladies had a blast with your lesson, Anthony!), and I'm eager for yoga (maybe when the weather is not so unbearable), and cooking lessons. I also look forward to nightly volleyball (although I am terrible), and just chilling on the couch. Just a side note: Cha Hung sure is a jack-of-all trades--he does acupuncture for family members nightly and also teaches them reflexology (which I am eager to learn!) Seriously, what can't he do?

Sorry if this entry was a bit convoluted, but I just wanted to get everything down before dinner. I also have to try and tackle this MS ACCESS problem we are having and am HIGHLY frustrated with it right now.

The past few days have been a whirlwind of emotions, but I am Taiwan now, relatively settled and excited for the journey I am going to embark upon with the new friends I have met. Saying the flight here was long is a vast understatement, but once I got to the TPE I got a second wind. It was around 6:30 am when I landed and I could already feel the intense humidity. Spotted Cha Hung and we proceeded to drive back to the shelter. I was a little nervous about meeting him just because he is such a prominent individual, activist, fighter, superhero--the list goes on and on, but he was so warm and friendly that those feelings dissipated immediately.

Got to the shelter around 7, just in time for morning mass. I was there with a few of the women, and later sat down to breakfast of jam and bread with them. My Vietnamese was actually better than I anticipated (thank God) and it was a very pleasant experience. I then went to Cha Hung's office for a very informal 'orientation,'--he basically went over the nature of work at the office, what my responsibilities would be etc. Throughout our conversation, one thing in particular stood out to me, which is very simple, but still, I think, a very important thing to remember during my time here--that we are here to EMPOWER the victims, and not to shelter them. It will be my job to, in any way that I can, to instill a sense of confidence in these individuals, to let them realize that they can and should be fighters in these harsh circumstances they find themselves under. Cha Hung was concerned that I was tired and asked if I wanted to take the day off to rest, and I was tempted, but was very anxious to soak up as much of the culture of the office as I could on the first day.

I washed vegetables with some of the ladies, watched Taiwanese dramas, ate some delicious cooking, played volleyball...it was a very full and fulfilling day. Vanessa, Vinh, and Trinh, many of the victims talked about their experiences with you and went on about how great you all were and how appreciative they are about your time here--it just goes to show the great/difficult work we are engaged in, and that it is making a difference.

Now, my only complaint is the humidity...

Hello! My name is Caroline Le and I will be interning in Taiwan on behalf of VietACT this summer and fall. I feel truly humbled and blessed to be given this opportunity, and after a year of studying about issues such as human rights, globalization, public policy, etc., I am extremely excited to actually have a "hands-on" experience working with an issue of human rights violations, particularly one that has been consistently overlooked by the mainstream media and even the most globally-conscious citizens of the world. I feel as though I have gained a lot from my studies this year at UCSB, but am positive that this experience in Taiwan will teach me things that I will never be able to learn from a book or from listening to a lecture.

I am particularly looking forward to being able to interact with victims of trafficking and hear their stories. It is obvious that human trafficking is one of the worst forms of human rights abuses and is something that must be urgently addressed. One of the mantras of VietACT as articulated by Edmund Burke is: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Ever since I was young, I've wanted to change the world, but figuring out how I wanted to go about doing this was the challenge. Increasingly I have found that it starts with a group of concerned citizens working at the grassroots level. While eradicating human trafficking is an enormous feat, making small steps toward change and improving the lives of these victims and alleviating their suffering (strides which TaiwanACT and VietACT have made), is evidence that it can be done.

After finishing my classes in mid-June, I had a week or so to relax a bit and spend quality time with family and friends, and given the experience that I am about to embark upon, I just felt extremely lucky to be where I am in terms of my life circumstances. Perhaps I will never be able to fully relate to someone who has been trafficked, or someone who had to leave their country and their loved ones to find a job, but if I can do anything to help them--make them laugh, teach them something new--then it will be all worthwhile. I remembering hearing a quote (I'm full of them, but can never remember the exact lines), something to the effect of: "The character of human kind is judged upon how it treats its most vulnerable and marginalized," and I couldn't agree more. Here's to the cause.

And now it's time to finish packing. Taiwan here I come!

Hey Everyone,

This is Vinh (Anthony), VietACT's Intern from Summer 2007. Wow, it's been a while since I wrote on this blog. I nearly forgot my password! >_<

As my predecessor, Vanessa Nguyen (VietACT's 2006 Intern), has done for me - I'd like to officially welcome and recognize Caroline Le as our 2008 Intern. Below is a brief bio on Caroline Le. She hopes to depart for Taiwan early July and plans to be in Taiwan for about three months or so (depending). Stay tune for upcoming entries by Caroline. Caroline - WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!

Caroline Le, VietACT 2008 Intern
Caroline is currently finishing her first year of graduate studies at The University of California, Santa Barbara in Global and International Studies. She graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in history and a minor in philosophy from UC Irvine. As part of her undergraduate experience, she was awarded a grant to conduct research on first and second generation Vietnamese immigrants. Her interest in immigration issues and human rights was, in large part, influenced by her own family’s experiences. She became interested in issues of human trafficking in early 2006, particularly through learning about the experiences of Vietnamese women in Taiwan. Her participation at an international conference on human trafficking further cemented her desire to learn more about and do something to curb these human rights abuses. When a friend introduced her to VietACT, she was determined to somehow get involved and contribute to the cause. Aside from human trafficking issues, her academic interests include refugee and women’s rights as well as sustainable economic development.