Every seat in the cafeteria was filled, as the approximately 50 audience members listened attentively to stories of human rights abuse told by Greg Dempsey, a staff member of Canada’s Mission to the United Nations and vice-chair of the UN’s Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Third Committee; Fraidy Reiss, founder and executive director of Unchained At Last, which assists women and children in forced marriages; and Robert Mancene, a special agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
At the beginning of the panel, Dempsey drew a contrast between how governments at the UN have embraced human rights.While new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided to have a gender equal cabinet “because it’s 2015,” Robert Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since the 1980s, embraced homophobia in a UN speech in September when he said there were no gay people in his country and that he didn’t want to associate with gay rights.
After Dempsey finished his remarks, Reiss discussed arranged marriages in America. She said that while the minimum age to get married in the U.S. is 18 (the age of majority), every state has exceptions to that rule. In New Jersey, people can marry at age 16 with parental consent and at any age with approval from a judge.
When Reiss—who was herself a victim of a forced marriage—read the number of New Jersey child marriages from 1995 – 2012, many in the audience gasped. Reiss said: “During that period, 3,499 children were married in New Jersey. The youngest was 10 years old … And it’s just mind-boggling that judges approve these marriages.”
Reiss called marriage a “legal contract” that should be reserved for those who are 18 or older. “It’s just common sense,” she added. After Reiss’ powerful commentary, the audience heard from Mancene, who brought many in the audience to cringe while describing in often graphic detail the horrors of human trafficking.
Mancene said that victims of human trafficking are usually under watch and not allowed to leave their location. Commonly, their documentation is taken from them. Victims often look frightened, malnourished and unkempt.
After the event, senior Izzy Gelfand, co-president of the WHS GLI chapter, said she viewed the event as a success and hopes the community will continue supporting GLI events. A silent auction was held during the evening to raise money for the club.
“We feel so lucky that these speakers were able to attend,” Gelfand said: “It all came together really well and that we had a full house makes me really happy,” said Gelfand.