On January 15, 2023, ASEZ Crime Prevention Forum was held at Haines Hall, University of California, Los Angeles [UCLA] to prevent crime and promote awareness of human trafficking in celebration of the National Human Trafficking Prevention Month proclaimed by President Biden.
The forum was attended by the Head of the Los Angeles County Probation Department, the trafficking survivor, and the Sergeant of the LA Regional Human Trafficking Task Force along with seven university students from Korea and more than 100 university students from nine universities, including the University of California [UCLA], California State University, Northridge [CSUN], and Pierce College. The event began with the introduction of ASEZ, followed by the introduction of the crime prevention project, expert lectures, giving out souvenir, and taking photos.
Before the lecture, Lee Se-hyeon and Lee Eun-ji from Korea introduced the crime prevention project of ASEZ. Explaining the Broken Windows Theory, the two students emphasized that everyone in the world should take action to prevent crime. The Broken Windows Theory tells that small and trivial disorders may lead to severe crimes.
At the first part of the ASEZ Crime Prevention Forum, Michelle Guymon, the Head of the Los Angeles County Probation Department gave a speech. Michelle Guymon promoted the Safe Youth Zone for teenagers and gave education on human trafficking prevention. Introducing the shelter for teenagers who have nowhere to go, she reminded them that they need the courage to speak what they have seen without hiding anything.
Michelle Guymon lavished ASEZ with praise, saying, “It is great for students to pay attention and discuss crime prevention to make this world a better place.”
Simon Miller, based on her experiences. Telling how she came to work for crime prevention, she said, “When I found out that my daughter was kidnapped by traffickers, my love for her made me go out to find her. My maternal love made me lead this organization for over eight years.”
Lastly, Sergeant Jeffery Walker said, “Human trafficking is something that can happen to your family, too,” and showed how trafficking actually occurs. He suggested specific measures to prevent crimes by explaining the terms that trafficking criminals use.
Karina Barrera, the presenter at the ASEZ Introduction said, “I learned a lot from this forum. Nowadays, the crime rate is increasing day by day. This forum gave me an opportunity to think about our role in preventing crime.” In addition, Isabel Vafai Janbahan said, “Through the Crime Prevention Forum, I could understand how important it is to be aware of the problems we are facing today. Just by being aware of the problem, it helps our neighbors and can bring change in our community.”
This crime prevention forum was a meaningful time for university students, the future community members, to know about serious crimes such as human trafficking that occurs frequently in hidden places and listen to experts’ opinions. ASEZ will continue its activities such as the Crime Prevention Forum to prevent crimes that can happen to anyone at any time.
