A 2008 study of commercial sexual exploitation of youth in King County, Washington, estimated at least 300-500 local girls—some as young as 11—had been trafficked that year. An abundance of ports and its international border with Canada make the state particularly vulnerable to human trafficking.

In 2003, Washington was the first state to pass a law criminalizing human trafficking—the most stringent such law in the country—but much more is needed to protect local youth.

To alert youngsters and their parents and teachers to modern-day slavery and the other human rights abuse that can impact young people’s lives, Youth for Human Rights Seattle brought their human rights education initiative to Kent International Festival in King County this month.

The volunteers handed out copies of What are Human Rights? This easy-to-read booklet illustrates each of the 30 articles of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in terms and pictures anyone can understand. They also had copies of The Story of Human Rights documentary on DVD and Educator’s Kits for teachers, youth groups, law enforcement and civic groups to use in providing human rights education . The kit contains all the program’s materials, lesson plans, enrichment activities and ideas for activating students as human rights advocates.

Youth for Human Rights is an educational initiative supported by the Church of Scientology. Scientologists on six continents partner with government agencies and nongovernmental organizations to bring about broad-scale awareness and implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the world’s premier human rights document.

The purpose of Youth for Human Rights International is to inspire youth to become valuable advocates for tolerance and peace through education on the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

For more information on Youth for Human Rights International and to obtain free materials visit www.youthforhumanrights.org.