Two children a minute are abducted, prostituted or sold into slavery, Lamont Hiebert said.
Hiebert, who will perform in the HUB-Robeson Center for his first time in four years, decided to do something about it.
At 7:30 tonight in Heritage Hall, Hiebert will perform with his band, Ten Shekel Shirt, joined by The Wrecking, in an effort to raise awareness about these issues.
Hiebert plans to take his audience on a "journey," inspiring involvement in the abolition of modern-day slavery and the restoration of survivors of such crimes, through enjoyable rock music and artistic demonstrations, he said.
Hiebert, who writes songs addressing these issues, is the lead vocalist and a guitarist in Ten Shekel Shirt. He also co-founded public charity LOVE146, a public charity aiming to combat child sex-trafficking and exploitation and to restore survivors.
"We'll sing a lot of songs about abolition, justice and restoration for people who have been through these horrible tortures, but also songs about college-related themes," Hiebert said.
Ten Shekel Shirt, a Connecticut-based band with a British pop-rock feel, plays songs that are empowering and challenging, Hiebert said.
Ten Shekel Shirt has played at more than 50 college campuses throughout the U.S., Hiebert said. The singer added he believes college students are the best audiences for "rock and justice, art and action," the theme of Ten Shekel Shirt's tour.
Nate Joline (senior-economics and statistics) organized the event. Joline, part of the campus chapter of International Justice Mission (IJM) and the Christian Student Fellowship (CSF), the co-sponsors of the concert, said he hopes to raise awareness through tonight's event about modern-day slavery and human trafficking.
"The sale of human beings has surpassed the legal sale of arms and will surpass the legal sale of drugs within the next 10 years," Hiebert said.
Hiebert co-founded LOVE146 after a research-oriented trip to southeast Asia.
"We went into a brothel and saw children about the ages of 9 to 14 sitting behind glass, with numbers pinned to their dress," Hiebert said. "We learned a lot about the rescue process -- how difficult it is not just to rescue the children, but to make sure that their pimps and brothel managers and those who traffic them are prosecuted, as well; you can't just go and yank these kids out."
Hiebert took a break from his blossoming music career for five years to work on developing LOVE146, re-launching his music career just last year.
Tonight's concert will also feature The Wrecking, a band with a "pretty polished sound," said Hiebert, whose band has played with The Wrecking once before.
Preventing and raising awareness about bonded slavery, sex-trafficking, freeing innocently convicted prisoners and illegal land seizures are the main goals of IJM, said Jill Benson, co-adviser of the campus chapter.
IJM investigates suspected crimes, employing lawyers, investigators and aftercare workers, and if there is an injustice being committed, it rescues the victims after taking the case to court, Benson said.
The event will concentrate mostly on the featured bands, Ten Shekel Shirt and their artist partner through IJM, The Wrecking, with projected snippets of an IJM DVD to better inform the public about the organizations and how they can help.
"Just by coming, you're supporting the work these bands do," Joline said.
