DC Modern Slavery Group is gearing up for 4th Annual human trafficking Walk and Event—"UNBOUND"

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Organized by DC Stop Modern Slavery (DC SMS), the 4th annual Stop Modern Slavery Walk now known as UNBOUND: A Walk Uniting the Movement to End Human Trafficking, will take place at the Washington Monument on Saturday October 5, 2013 at 10 a.m.

The event aims to unite the anti-trafficking movement while raising critical awareness and funds for anti-trafficking programs. UNBOUND hopes to build upon the success of last year's event, which raised nearly $100,000 for 15 anti-slavery organizations and brought out more than 2,000 supporters.  Since we began this tradition in 2009, DC SMS has helped raise more than $325,000 for the cause and registered over 6,500 attendees.

All financial proceeds of UNBOUND will be used by 10 anti-trafficking organizations that provide direct services for survivors of slavery, including rescue, rehabilitation, shelter, aftercare, as well as organizations that spread awareness and provide training. This year's beneficiary lineup includes:

Innocents at Risk, Polaris Project, Safe House of Hope, Global Centurion, Restoration Ministries, Shared Hope International, Courtney's House, Bridge to Freedom Foundation, Women at Risk,  and Seraphim Global.

This year's event will include an amazing lineup of speakers, musicians, and bands including Martina Vandenberg, founder and president of The Human Trafficking pro-bono Legal Center, as the keynote speaker.  Another guest is SoulCry Foundation, a dance troupe whose performances tell the stories of trafficked survivors.

Additionally, UNBOUND will feature a resource fair with more than 25 exhibitors where people can learn more about this issue and how they can get involved in the anti-trafficking movement..

Human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing illicit industries, with an estimated 27 million people enslaved worldwide. According to the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Public Affairs and the US Department of Justice, modern-day slavery exists in several forms, including forced labor, involuntary domestic servitude, sex trafficking and child sex trafficking, among other types and is a 32 billion dollar world wide industry.  It affects adults and children, with 13 the average age for entry into commercial sexual exploitation, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. DC SMS began in 2004 as a small group of concerned citizens and has grown into an action-oriented group of volunteers with more than 1,400 members devoted to ending modern-day slavery. For more information on the event, or to register/donate please visit www.unbounddc.org.

Registrations or donations can be made by visiting www.UNBOUNDdc.org.

SOURCE DC Stop Modern Slavery