Sunday September 13th marks the beginning of the Panthers Against Human Trafficking student organization here at UNI. This inaugural meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the State College Room on the lower level of Maucker Union. The goal of this meeting is to better inform attendees as to what human trafficking is exactly and what the goal of the Panthers Against Human Trafficking organization is.

According to President Isabella Perksen, the group’s goal is to 

“be a student organization where any students interested in learning more about human trafficking and joining the work to end modern-day slavery would feel welcomed and included.”

She went on to say, 

“Ultimately, we have three main goals: educate, fundraise, and advocate. As we move forward as an independent student organization without outside guidance, we look forward to finding new ways to accomplish these goals and hope we can look to do this work on a more local level than before, looking at how we can make a change right here in the Cedar Valley.”

In a town as deceivingly small as Cedar Falls, one would hope that this isn’t a glaring issue, but this group hopes to prove that every life counts. Those who need assistance could be hiding in plain sight, waiting for someone to give them the helping hand they need. The meeting is open to anyone, and the group will continue to meet every Monday at 7 p.m.