SVENSSON CONTINUES EFFORT TO STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING

A 2010 Rockland Community College (RCC) alum and current senior at Georgetown University, Mark Svensson, was recently selected from a worldwide pool of applicants by the Clinton Foundation to serve as one of 30 Commitment Mentors to President Clinton’s Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU). His assigned focus area- Human Trafficking.

Svensson first became active in the fight against human trafficking while a student in the M/TS Honors Program at Rockland Community College. There, as a freshman, he helped establish the SUNY Rockland Anti-Slavery Committee under the banner “Be the Key to Freedom.” Svensson states, “RCC opened my eyes to the realities of human trafficking and modern day slavery practices and I was motivated to work with others to make a difference.”

The RCC alum notes that New York is a focal point for a significant percentage of human trafficking in the United States, and has worked with other students to lobby officials in Rockland County and Albany, to pass resolutions and laws to stem the tide of men, women, and children who are brought to this country as slaves. His efforts drew notice in Washington, where he met and spoke about his work with among others, legendary Congressman John Lewis.

Said to be the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, the U.S. government estimates that the human trafficking industry generates annual revenue of more than $9.5 billion. Furthermore, the U.S. government estimates that between 14,000 and 18,000 people are trafficked annually into the United States. Svensson said he is excited about the opportunity to serve as a CGIU Commitment Mentor; hoping to make the most of it. “I look forward to engaging and working with other young leaders from around the world who care as passionately as I do about ending this atrocious practice. Together, we can Be the Key to Freedom,” he posits.

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