The chilling truth of human trafficking gripped the International Justice Mission (IJM) and guests to the edge of their seats at they watched “Sex and Money,” an unsettling documentary on the horrors of human trafficking.

“Sex and Money: A National Search for Human Worth” is a feature-length documentary that follows the filmmakers, a group of photojournalists, as they travel through the U.S. to expose the facts behind human sex trafficking in the country.

The film provides an educational look at crime through interviews with several survivors of human trafficking, a man who formerly trafficked young girls, various experts, law enforcement officers and government officials.

IJM, a student organization at GVSU, is a chapter of a larger organization that was created to inform students about human trafficking and to take action by seeking justice for those who are oppressed.

“When students first learn about how large-scale human trafficking is, they think they can’t do anything to help,” said Melissa Gatto, financial officer for IJM. “I just want them to know that yes, this is a large issue that encompasses many things, but even as a student you can have an impact.”

Rachael Rutkowski, the president of IJM, said the group exists to provide facts and statistics on human trafficking, provide practical ways to eliminate human exploitation, and to provide a safe atmosphere for discussion.

Along with showing educational films such as “Sex and Money,” IJM at GVSU is connected with the campus and surrounding communities in a number of ways.

IJM has volunteered with Women At Risk and the Manasseh Project, which focuses on the restoration of victims in West Michigan. In addition to its off-campus involvement, IJM tries to support other GVSU organizations if they have a speaker coming to discuss human trafficking by offering volunteer opportunities after the presentation.

When Gatto first came to college she said that she, like many college students, did not know much about human trafficking.

“If I were to hear the words human trafficking, I would picture something along the lines of ‘Taken,’ where it’s someone being kidnapped in a different country,” Gatto said.

However, when she realized human trafficking is a much larger problem than this, she joined IJM, along with a friend, in order to learn about what trafficking looks like in Grand Rapids and what organizations were already addressing the issue.

IJM welcomes new members who are looking to help solve this injustice. Rutkowski said that the hope of IJM is to produce new leaders with new ideas and passions.

“IJM at GVSU just wants to help connect students to resources and organizations that are available to join,” Gatto said.