Issue date: 11/10/04 Section: News

It is a disturbing trend across much of the third world: indigent families receive a visit from a well-dressed man promising riches and a better future. These men speak of working in the big city as a waitress, actress or secretary and offer them a contract. If the contract is signed, what happens next is dark and cruel: The child goes to the city hand-in-hand with their suitor, who takes them to dark room.

Quickly, the child finds out they're not going to be waiting tables - they're going to be a sex slave. Child prostitution and trafficking is a serious problem in Southeast Asia, particularly in the communist nation of Vietnam.

Over the summer members of the Suffolk Vietnamese Student Association discussed this among other topics at a conference of the North American Vietnamese Student Associations. While at the conference, held at Emerson College, VSA students were shown an exclusive report produced by Dateline NBC about the child sex trade in Southeast Asia.

VSA members were moved by the report, deciding to organize a fundraiser as part of an effort to raise awareness about child trafficking. "We found human trafficking to be a big problem," said VSA treasurer Stanley Chu. With the help of the Program Council and the Suffolk University Book Store, VSA put on an event billed as Casino Night.

Gambling was one of the first forms of entertainment for the original Asian American immigrants in the 19th century, explained Chu. On Friday, Nov. 5, Casino Night was held in the Donahue building. Attendees estimated that over 50 people were present that evening and a total $461.50 was raised for charity.

Gambling is not allowed on campus property so VSA had to adapt their plan to strict rules. The event was more in line with a raffle than a Texas Hold'Em tournament. Students would pay a certain amount in real dollars and in return they'd receive a set amount of VSA dollars and some raffle tickets. Participants could then use the VSA dollars in any manner they saw fit.

A raffle was held at the end of the night for prizes ranging from a digital camera and I-Pod to gift certificates at the Suffolk bookstore. Students with the most money at the end of the night were also awarded special prizes. Along with the staples of Blackjack and Texas Hold'Em, students were introduced to traditional Asian gambling games like Lucky Chess and Big/Small. Traditional Vietnamese refreshments were served as well.

VSA has yet to determine the organization they will donate their money to. "We're performing background checks on the groups," said Chu, emphasizing that the government of Vietnam is known for its corruption and has not acted to the best of its ability to stop child trafficking.

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