Sorority kicks off year with D.C. walk to stop human trafficking

Sigma Psi Zeta, an Asian Pacific American sorority, advocates for domestic and sexual violence victims as its national philanthropy. The sorority participated Sept. 26 in the Stop Child Trafficking Now Walk in Washington, D.C.

The walk raised awareness on child trafficking. The sorority worked tirelessly on the sidelines of the walk and helped with the registration process.

“We wanted to participate in the walk, but because of the Greek requirements on campus, we can’t actually participate in the walk to count it as a community service event. We’ll be setting up instead, making sure everything runs smoothly,” Jessica He, sophomore business major and community service chair said.

The sorority hoped the walk would help to expand its community service outreach.

“The reason why we chose [domestic abuse] was because within our culture, women are often portrayed as passive, so it’s often taboo to talk about abuse. A lot of Asian women are trafficked as well. The reason is because they’re not as valued as men. It’s accepted,” Christine Lim, a junior bioengineering major, Spanish minor and philanthropy chair of Sigma Psi Zeta said.

The work the sorority is doing was inspired by a trip Sharon Choi, a sorority member, took this past summer.

Choi, a senior journalism major who has worked for The PublicAsian, went to India with Odanadi, an organization that works to resolve female trafficking issues.

Odanadi rescues, rehabilitates, and reintegrates women and children who have been sexually exploited and trafficked.

Sorority members agreed that this organization’s purpose dealt with the same issues as their national philanthropy.

Min Seo, a junior civil engineer major and Sigma sister said, “In our culture, I definitely think it’s a very significant issue. In traditional Asian culture, there’s the stereotype that the male is really dominant and really controlling. I feel like domestic violence is really a part of our culture.”

However, not all students believe that female trafficking is something specifically related to APA culture and history.

Jack Dong, a microbiology senior said, “I think you can’t really say it’s part of our culture. Although Asian culture has been very chauvinistic throughout most parts of history, now it’s the 20th century. I think it’s kind of abolished that.”

Nan Jiang, associate professor of second language acquisition said, “It was relatively common for the family to lose a child … It’s most likely for the purpose of adopting the child or to just sell it for the purposes of making money.”

Jiang said that it is prevalent today in China due to the One Child Policy, which closely monitors the amount of children a family may have.

Choi said that her experience in India allowed her to work with young women who were trafficked or had mothers who were. This allowed her to focus on the domestic violence issue internationally.

On campus, Sigma Psi Zeta holds several events to bring attention to domestic violence.

The Clothesline Project is held annually. It is one of the most visible events on campus. The Clothesline Project brings informational workshops to campus and invites women in the community to decorate T-shirts with their feelings, especially those regarding domestic abuse.

“The general feeling of the clothesline project is an ‘airing out the community’s dirty laundry,’” Seo said.

In the future, Sigma Psi Zeta plans on holding self-defense workshops and more informational meetings.

Sigma Psi Zeta also hopes to collaborate with organizations in Washington, D.C., and other campus groups, according to Seo.

“It all relates to our cause. Not just domestic violence, but any violence, any form, drugging and raping is a form of abuse, not just physically, but psychologically,” Choi said.