The Newman Center and the Students for Peace and Justice will put on the free play “The True Cost: Stories of Human Trafficking” and a panel discussion Thursday with individuals who work with survivors of human trafficking.

“The True Cost” is a play that “gives voice to the forgotten ones: the people who are forced into sexual servitude; the children who are exploited as slave labor to provide cheap goods sold in our very own neighborhoods; the women and men who are lured into domestic labor that turns out to be entrapment rather than employment,” according to the Still Point Theatre Collective, the group who helped create the play.

The production is based on the real-life experiences of individuals who have experienced human trafficking.

The performance will be 45 minutes long, followed by a panel discussion for those in attendance to ask questions and learn more about human trafficking.

Doris Nordin, campus minister at the Newman Catholic Center, said the play’s purpose is to help students explore social issues.

Nordin said those involved with the Students for Peace and Justice wanted to put on the play to inform their peers.

“We are concerned about what is going on at campus; they wanted to raise awareness about the issue,” Nordin said.

She sees the play as an opportunity for Eastern students to be aware of the world around them and learn the importance of taking precautions to protect themselves against human trafficking, Nordin said.  It could also raise awareness of warning signs of human trafficking.

Roy Lanham, director and campus minister at the Catholic Newman Center, said he is excited to put on the performance, and he looks forward to seeing how the use of the play can better convey human trafficking awareness.

The play and panel will be at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Buzzard Auditorium, and admission is free for everyone.

Monique Peterson can be reached at 581-2812 or at mjpeterson@eiu.edu.