150,000 STUDENTS JOIN HANDS TO TAKE ON USD 150 BILLION A YEAR INDUSTRY BY JOINING ‘THE 24 HOUR RACE 2014’
Running to Stop the Traffik (RTST) unites students from leading schools in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Singapore to take a stand against Human Slavery
KUALA LUMPUR – 29 October 2014 – Youth-led anti-slavery organization, Running to Stop the Traffik (RTST) is uniting more than 1000 runners from over 50 schools in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Singapore, through The 24 Hour Race 2014, with the aim of taking a stand against modern-day slavery. This marks Malaysia’s first year supporting the cause and to date, there are more than 150,000 youths engaged in the race and more than HKD 2,500,000 [RM 1,051,705] raised for grassroots charities that disrupt the slavery trade directly.
It is estimated that there are currently more than 21 million men, women and children that are living in slavery, more than any other time in history. These victims can be found in factories, construction sites, within fisheries and at sex venues, generating profits for their owners that exceed US$150 billion annually.
This year, The 24 Hour Race is taking place in Nexus International School in Kuala Lumpur, Lugard Road on The Peak in Hong Kong, and Gardens By The Bay in Singapore. Teams consisting of 7-9 runners will run (in relay format) from 9am on 15 November 2014, to 9am the next day, without a break.
Director of RTST Kuala Lumpur, Kasumi Higewake said, “Our vision is a world free from modern-dayslavery and human trafficking. We are an organization by young people for young people who are fighting for this vision. RTST is a charity driven by the commitment of young people who all have the same vision and aim, to empower others by spreading the values of participation and activism.”
“Human trafficking is a silent issue. It’s happening around us but many of us are not aware of it. Hence this race started to bring students from around the world together to fight against modern day slavery through endurance sports.” Higewake added.
Members of the public are invited to come and support the cause by joining in the fun and games of the carnival available on the grounds of Nexus International School and cheers of encouragement for the teams running as well.
Members of the public can also contribute by checking out the Run For Freedom mobile app, produced by FrogAsia, to raise awareness about Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery. FrogAsia will donate RM1 to RTST for everyone who completes the quiz and shares it on social media. The app is available on the Google Play store.
The race is presented by The Executive Centre, Asia’s leading serviced office provider, with the expectation of raising up to HKD 5,000,000 [RM2,103,410] this year. It is also supported by numerous renowned brands, such as Bain Capital, Kingdom Wear, Bud On Creation, SG Interactive, Lafuma, Kappa and Rip Curl, to name a few.
This year, RTST is supporting five beneficiaries, including SUKA Society in Malaysia, Freedom Matters, APLE Cambodia, Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation and HOME Singapore, which performed grassroots prevention and rehabilitation work in Nepal, Northern India, Cambodia and Malaysia. Online donation are accepted through the Just Giving website, https://www.justgiving.com/company/runningtostopthetraffik/.
Prizes will be awarded to the male, female and mixed teams that run the most laps in 24 hours as well as to those who show the greatest team spirit and raise the most funds.
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