Human trafficking, also commonly referred to as modern slavery, affects millions of people around the world and Guam is no exception to that number. To combat and educate island residents on the issue a Human Rights Conference convened at the Hilton today.

More than 24 million people fall victim to human trafficking worldwide. That's according to a statistic provided by the human trafficking institute. Co-founders of the Guam Human Rights Initiative, Erika Anderson and Mary Kate Soliva held a Human Rights Conference with the mission to bring awareness to island residents.

Soliva, who is also a veteran fellow with the Hoover Institution, told KUAM News, "We started to Guam Human Rights Initiative in hopes of addressing the lack in gaps of research with regards to human rights issues impacting Guam and the Pacific and so for this year we decided to start with human trafficking, which was something Erica and I became advocates about ten years ago when the first known human trafficking case hit Guam."

And Guam is not excluded from the human trafficking epidemic either.

It was in 2012 when former Blue House Lounge Owner in Upper Tumon, Song Ja Cha was found guilty on 20 counts of sex trafficking, coercion, conspiracy and foreign transportation for prostitution as she brought in young Chuukese women forcing them to work as hostesses and prostitutes.

While the case was a decade ago, the bigger issue is still at large. Soliva continued, "It is a prevalent issue human trafficking exists everywhere it even comes from all walks of life. The traffickers may also be women as well as men. The victims are from different walks of life, as well."

During the free conference, esteemed leaders appeared both virtually and in person to address the issue. "Former Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice offered a video this morning to just show her support even from Hoover institution out in Stanford," she added.

Local agencies available for victims include The Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence and Victims Advocates Reaching Out.