Mount Mercy University exhibit educates about human trafficking

CEDAR RAPIDS - Human trafficking is a local problem, and there are things people can do in Eastern Iowa to fight it.

That's the message Mindy Pfab hopes people come away with after walking through 'Journey to Freedom,” an exhibit she's installed at Mount Mercy University.

The exhibit, open to the public, tells the stories of four Americans, including two from Cedar Rapids and one from Iowa City, who were victims of human trafficking. They were able to escape and agreed to share their stories.

Visitors see these survivors' stories through photos and their own words. They also learn facts about human trafficking and learn ways they can help.

Human trafficking is not just about moving people across international borders, Pfab said. It includes local boys and girls and young women and men being sold, often disguised as consensual prostitutes.

'I don't want people to leave more depressed than when they went in and have no idea what to do,” Pfab said.

The display was developed by Prairie Lakes Church in Cedar Falls. Pfab was on the committee that adapted and installed it at The Big White House, part of Genesis Church in Coralville. Now she is bringing it to Mount Mercy through Saturday.

Mount Mercy was a perfect place for the display, said Deb Oliver, director of the master of business administration program at Mount Mercy and committee member with Brothers and Sisters Against Trafficking, because the Sisters of Mercy has made human trafficking one of its central issues.

'We just want people to know there are vulnerable people out there,” she said. 'You might not know someone who is being trafficked, but you may know someone who is vulnerable.”

That includes runaways and other children who have unstable home lives. The average age for a victim is 11 to 13 years old, she said.

Pfab became involved while volunteering at a Chicago shelter that served women who had been trafficked. She didn't want the information in the Journey to Freedom display to go unseen, so she coordinated the newest installation. She's now looking for people to host the exhibit in the future.

'Education brings awareness, awareness brings empowerment, empowerment breeds passion and passion breeds change,” she said.

If you go

'When

: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, and Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

'Where

: Basile Hall atrium, Mount Mercy main campus, 1330 Elmhurst Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids and the Francis J. Pruss Conference Center, CRST International Graduate Center, 1599 Wenig Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids

'Cost

: Free

'For more information

: Mindy Pfab at mindy.s.pfab@gmail.com

Find out more

'More information on local efforts to fight human trafficking: Visit Cedarrapidsgives.org or email Teresa Davidson, chairwoman of the local Brothers and Sisters Against Trafficking, at lifewideopen@me.com