Many of us spend our free time catching up on the latest Netflix show, exploring nature or trying out a new restaurant. For Amber Huyghe, a large amount of her free time is devoted to researching human trafficking.
As president and founder of the UM-Dearborn student organization Un.Chain.ed, Huyghe has been working hard to bring awareness of human trafficking to the campus community. She was encouraged by Susan Estep, program manager of the university’s Women’s Resource Center, to start this organization, with the goal of having difficult conversations with faculty, staff and students regarding human trafficking in our community.
“Amber is one of the most passionate people I have ever met,” Estep said. “She deeply cares about Metro Detroit and making a difference in her community.”
Her impact is extending beyond campus too.
Huyghe is collaborating with organizations such as the Michigan State Police, FBI, Polaris Project and Vista Maria. She is working to bring a human trafficking summit and a human trafficking/Amber Alert training to campus. She also has volunteered with Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution (SOAP), an organization that works to educate hotel staff to recognize and report sex trafficking.
This experience is setting Huyghe up for a career that will allow her to keep advocating for an end to human trafficking.
“My future career would be one where I may utilize my research to fight back against child pornography and human trafficking,” Huyghe said. “I want to be a voice for those who do not yet have their voice, to bring out their voices from the shadows and to unmask those hiding in plain sight.”
While Huyghe is making a difference around campus, the effects of her work are being felt somewhere even more personal—at home.
Said Estep, “Not only is Amber impacting our campus and our community, she is making a big impact on her six year old son. As a single mother, her son is learning from her pursing her education and activism. This has helped him to be aware of issues in the world around him and how he can be part of making social change.”