Tara Teng

Tara Teng
Born	(1988-08-16) August 16, 1988 British Columbia, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Citizenship	Canada
Occupation(s)	Abolitionist Fashion model Public speaker
Years active	2009-present
Relatives	Terry Teng (father) Lori Teng (mother)
Modeling information
Height	1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Website	tarateng.wordpress.com

Tara Teng (born August 16, 1988) is a Canadian abolitionist and beauty pageant winner. At the age of two, Tara's parents gave her the Chinese name Oi Kwan, meaning "loves groups of people," and Teng later attested to this name describing her well. Her parents raised her on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast. Teng attends Re:Generation, a local church that was planted by her father, who is also the church's pastor. Teng has a Bachelor of Education degree from Trinity Western University (TWU) with a specialization in teaching secondary school. Her first impetus to combat human trafficking came from watching Bangkok Girl, a documentary film. She advocates labelling human trafficking victims "not as prostitutes but prostituted [because nearly] 98% of the women don't want to be in the industry."

Teng is a professional public speaker and works full-time as an independent activist against human trafficking, partnering with various organizations rather than working for any one organization in particular. She has participated in a variety of awareness initiatives, including Buying Sex is Not a Sport, Freedom Week, and Ignite the Road to Justice. Teng said that on nearly every occasion that she has spoken in public about human trafficking, she has been approached by a teenaged girl who tells her about having been targeted by a prospective pimp. Teng has inspired the institution of a regular, ongoing conversation in Langley to explore possibilities about how to combat human trafficking in the area.

Teng has fought against human trafficking in such countries as the Dominican Republic, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore. In June 2011, she visited poor towns and slums in both Cambodia and Thailand in which none of the families still had their daughters; all of the girls had been sold into sexual slavery by their families. In February 2012, Teng was one of two keynote speakers at the Freedom and Honor Conference in Seoul, South Korea. As an ambassador for World Vision, Teng travelled to villages in Sri Lanka and the Philippines to visit the children sponsored by Canadians through this charitable organization. Teng founded Undies for Africa, a charitable organization that sends panties and brassieres to Zambia, where another charitable organization, Villages of Hope, distributes the clothing to women there in order to raise their social status and thereby help prevent their being sexually assaulted. She also founded Send Love, a campaign to connect India's Dalit children with children in North America.

Teng self-identifies as an abolitionist rather than a beauty queen because she uses her beauty pageant fame as a platform to raise awareness about human trafficking. In 2010, she became the seventh person and the first Christian to be crowned Miss B.C. World. In 2011, she was crowned Miss Canada in Montreal, making her the first Miss Canada from British Columbia since Summerland's Nicole Dunsdon was crowned in 1992. In May 2012, Teng competed in the Miss World Canada competition in Richmond's River Rock Casino Resort and won, despite not participating in the swimsuit competition; she opted to withdraw from the swimsuit portion of Miss World Canada. That November, she was one of thirty Langley residents to receive the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Personal life

Tara Teng was born on August 16, 1988 to Terry and Lori Teng, both of whom were immigrants to Canada. Tara's ancestors came from both Southeast Asia and Western Europe; her father is Chinese Singaporean and her mother is European Canadian. In the 1970s, Terry and his family immigrated to Canada; he later met Lori at a Canadian university. The name Tara means "she who brings forth life." Elaine Phillips of Baptist Horizon eventually wrote that this name suits Teng because her "heartbeat and passion is to see all people—regardless of nationality, culture, gender, lifestyle or belief—thrive in freedom, truth and abundance." At the age of two, Tara's parents gave her the Chinese name Oi Kwan, meaning "loves groups of people," and Teng later attested to this name describing her well. Her parents raised her on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast; she grew up in Powell River and later moved to Fort Langley in Langley, which is part of Metro Vancouver, a city that she loves and called "an outdoor playground." In this community, which boasts a large Korean Canadian population, Teng became familiar with South Korean culture. Her family also hosted South Koreans in homestays. Teng was introduced to several other cultures at a young age. She called her family "a crazy bunch" who enjoy watching films, eating regional cuisines, and playing board games together. Teng's favourite activities include travel, archery, rock climbing, salsa dancing, and watching Pacific Ocean sunsets. Her favourite foods are green curry and salmon, and she also enjoys hae mee, a traditional Singaporean dish that she grew up with. She said that, as her fame has grown, her circle of close friends has become smaller and more important to her. She thinks that she would get along well with Drew Barrymore if they ever met. Teng considers herself strong-willed. She has never used an online dating service, but she attests to having been asked on dates online multiple times, once through her LinkedIn account by someone who claimed to have met her years before but whom she did not remember. She said that she prefers to be asked out in person because it requires the man to step out of his comfort zone.

In November 2011, Teng attended a political debate between the mayoral candidates for both Langley City and Langley Township. At the debate, Teng asked candidate Mel Kositsky what his passion was, and Kositsky responded by declaring his passion to be "helping others achieve their goals." After the suicide of Amanda Todd, Teng said that Todd lived with psychological resilience and courage that "is impacting millions of people's lives around the world," encouraging people to see those around them as family. Teng's fame has resulted in some consequences that she likes and others that she does not; her fame has allowed her to walk down red carpets and model for fashion photo shoots, but has also resulted in websites evaluating her hairstyle and clothing on a daily basis. She said that she finds it difficult to deal with the fact that so many people have opinions on what kind of person she should be. Ann Mainse of the "Full Circle" segment on 100 Huntley Street said that "many young girls see [Teng] as a vibrant, beautiful role model."

Religious views

Teng's mother Lori is a businessperson and her father Terry is a pastor. At one of the churches where Terry pastored, Tara had a negative experience with people there. Teng was 15 years old at the time and later said that she reacted to the situation by rejecting Christianity and by making selfish decisions with regards to her apartment, car, job, and boyfriend. Her job was to manage a boutique that she liked. At the age of 20, she began to feel that her life lacked purpose; she left her job, became dissatisfied with her boyfriend and broke up with him, and found it difficult to pay for her car. She said that these difficulties made her realize that things work out poorly when she makes her own plans for her life, so she decided to live according to God's plan from then onwards. She said that this realization came to her in a moment in which she could almost hear the voice of God telling her what she was learning. She later wrote on her blog that, before this experience, she had only been a Christian in theory, but thenceforward was a Christian in action. She said that, despite having grown up attending a church, she "didn't really... meet the person of Jesus Christ until" 2009.

While growing up, she volunteered at sports camps and missions. Whenever Tara's mother believes that Tara needs to learn a lesson, Tara's mother gives her a book on the subject. One of the books Tara received in this manner was Let Me Be a Woman, a book by Elisabeth Elliot that had a peach cover Tara disliked. Before reading the book, Tara perceived it to be irrelevant to her life, obsolete, and too conservative in its Christianity. Nonetheless, she read it, and was drawn in by the opening story in which God brings two people together from across the world into a romantic relationship with each other because of their obedience to God's leading. Teng read several stories in the book, including one about the murder of John and Betty Stam, Christian martyrs. A prayer by Betty Stam was also included in the book. The prayer asked that the full will of God be done in her life, irrespective of the cost to herself. Teng wrote the prayer above her bed on the wall and began praying the prayer daily from then onwards. While a heterosexual and a devoted Christian, she marched in the Vancouver Pride Parade one year. Teng attends Re:Generation, a local church that was planted by her father, who is also the church's pastor. Re:Generation is located in Langley and is affiliated with the Canadian National Baptist Convention.

Education

Teng was homeschooled until the age of 15. She learned some Mandarin Chinese, Malay, and Cantonese. In the fall of 2008, Teng began studying education with a focus in Spanish and English language at Trinity Western University (TWU), a Christian school located in Langley. When she enrolled, she hoped to become a high school language teacher. Teng called TWU her "dream school" and said that "the community is incredible," finding that her teachers were willing to help her with her studies outside of class. In the 2009-2010 school year, she worked as part of the Student Orientation Staff with Associate Dean of Students Cathy Almost, who had first met Teng when Teng was 13 years old. In 2010, Teng became the president of TWU's International Social Justice Club, an organization of which she had previously been a member. As part of this organization, Teng invited guest speakers to the school to talk about human trafficking. Cathy Almost said that people became convinced to combat human trafficking because of the speakers Teng invited. TWU took Teng on as an Orientation Assistant in the fall of 2010, in which capacity Teng helped new students orient themselves at the university. She had two jobs at the time.

Teng spent four months of the fourth year of her degree studying at TWU's Laurentian Leadership Centre (LLC) in Ottawa, Ontario, participating in the Laurentian Leadership Program. While in Ottawa, she worked on Parliament Hill. In connection with her studies through the Centre, she did an internship with Joy Smith, who, as Member of Parliament (MP) for Kildonan—St. Paul in Winnipeg, had been working to implement laws aiming to reduce the demand for prostitution in Canada. As part of this year-long internship, Teng aided Smith in promoting the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, Bill C-310, and general human trafficking awareness. Smith said that it was "a pleasure to have Tara interning" at the office; Smith asserted that Teng "often went above and beyond... in moving forward anti-human trafficking legislation and policy." Janet Epp Buckingham, Director of the LLC, said that "Tara's internship experience is a great example of the best of our program." Teng said that she considered Smith one of her heroes. In January 2011, Teng hosted a screening of Enslaved and Exploited: The Story of Sex Trafficking in Canada at TWU. Teng later received her Bachelor of Education degree from TWU with a specialization in teaching secondary school.

Activism

Human trafficking

Inspirations

Teng became interested in learning about the Atlantic slave trade and the Underground Railroad when she was approximately 10 years old. Her father Terry attested to her reading Let the Little Children Come, a book about devadasis, young girls in India given to priests as brides; as a Christian missionary in India, Amy Carmichael had sought to end the prostitution of children in the country, and the 1947 Madras Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act later made it illegal to dedicate children to Hindu temples. Terry said that the book "really stirred Tara." Tara said that her first impetus to combat human trafficking came from watching Bangkok Girl, a documentary film in which the main character looks into the lens of the camera and says "No one cares about me," a line that Teng said changed her life. Teng said that, at the time, she could not understand how a person could believe their personal worth was determined by the amount of money a person would pay for them. She continued to encounter documentaries and articles about human trafficking throughout her teen years, and eventually began to seek out these materials.

In 2006, Teng was surprised to find out that a member of her neighbourhood was a human trafficking victim. This victim was 14 years old when she was trafficked by someone posing as a boyfriend. He gave her expensive gifts over a period of time and then eventually told her he needed to pay off a debt to someone. She offered to help, and he said that she could make the money he needed by spending one night with a guy he knew. After she complied, the boyfriend blackmailed her and threatened her with violence if she did not continue to make money for him in this manner. The girl's mother, a friend of Teng's, lived on the same street as Teng, only four houses away. Teng also learned that she had friends whose sisters and cousins had been trafficked. It was Teng's realization that members of her own community were being trafficked that caused her to begin opposing human trafficking. In reference to this realization, Teng said that human trafficking "wasn't some distant problem anymore." In her fight against human trafficking, Teng claims inspiration from historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, who brought slaves to freedom in Canada at the risk of her own life; Nellie McClung, who was successful in achieving women's suffrage in Canada; and William Wilberforce, an 18th-to-19th-century member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom who, three days before he died, abolished the slavery that was taking place in the British Empire. She has also claimed inspiration from Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan.

Philosophy

Tara Teng self-identifies as an abolitionist. She also considers herself a feminist, but uses the label "feminist" with reservation because she is concerned that it will make people think that she is a misandrist. Instead, she calls herself a feminist because she is a human rights defender and she believes that the most common human rights violations are women's rights violations. She said that she wants soli Deo gloria to be the theme of her life, meaning that God's glory would ever be her sole focus. She believes that it is the will of God that she fight human trafficking, and specifically that she raise awareness about human trafficking in Canada. She said that "it's God's cause... If it was me doing all of this, it would have fallen apart a long time ago." She also considers fighting human trafficking a moral imperative. She believes that human trafficking can come to an end because God is able to end it. She said that it is impossible to speak with her and not be brought into a discussion of human trafficking. She believes that she was born to fight human trafficking. Teng emphasized that human trafficking is an issue in Canada and not just in developing countries; she said that no Canadian cities are free of this crime. She called human trafficking "a global emergency" and went on to say that "people are not commodities, and that’s the bottom line. People are not to be bought and sold." Teng is passionate about human trafficking and therefore loves talking about it, despite finding the issue uncomfortable and difficult to communicate. She said that she is encouraged to continue opposing human trafficking by the people who daily join her in the cause and by the personal stories she hears.

In 2010, Teng said that 80% of human trafficking victims were female, and 50% were children. In 2011, she asserted that there were 27 million slaves around the world, more than ever before, together comprising a $32-billion-dollar industry, "more than Google, Nike, and Starbucks combined." She said the illegal drug trade is the only industry that generates a greater profit overall than human trafficking. In 2012, she said that human trafficking was the world's fastest-growing crime. She further argued that slavery's appearance had changed over the previous 200 years, but that its devastation remained the same. She also said that micro-brothels had been uncovered in the Lower Mainland and that some trafficked sexual slaves are as young as twelve years old. She placed the average age of victims in Canada at 13 and said that children in other countries are sold as young as age 3. She said that the youngest human trafficking victim she has ever worked with was 18 months old. She also advocates labelling human trafficking victims "not as prostitutes but prostituted [because nearly] 98% of the women don't want to be in the industry," which she argues is growing faster than any other industry in the world. Teng identified the root causes of human trafficking as being sexual objectification, political corruption, organized crime, and poverty.

Teng has suggested that Canadians specifically should fight against human trafficking because it is their heritage, Canada having previously been a sanctuary for many slaves in the United States. She has further argued that fighting to free people from slavery is part of Canadian identity, given that the country's national anthem declares Canada to be "the true north strong and free." Teng said that the lack of visible human trafficking in Canada as compared to in other countries does not indicate a lower prevalence of human trafficking; she argued that most Canadians have passed sex slaves or brothels without realizing it. She also said that Canada has "a lot of things to do from a legislative standpoint... We need a lot more resources for people who work on the frontlines. But at least the conversation is starting to happen." In response to people attempting to legalize prostitution in Canada, Teng said, "you're talking about an industry that capitalizes on racially oppressed women, on impoverished women, on minors, on children, it capitalizes on immigrants... I can’t believe that we’re having that conversation." Teng has also argued that, throughout history, the legalization of prostitution has never made life safer for prostitutes and will not do so in the future either. Teng said that one of the biggest difficulties that needs to be overcome in addressing human trafficking is stereotypes of prostitutes; she said that she hates the term "hooker". Teng uses various social media to raise awareness about human trafficking, including a personal blog, Twitter, and Facebook.

Public speaking

Teng is a professional public speaker and works full-time as an independent activist against human trafficking, partnering with various organizations rather than working for any one organization in particular. World Vision International is one of the organizations with which she has partnered. She has given speeches at events raising funds for International Justice Mission (IJM), an organization that she has called "one of the leading human rights organizations... literally bringing children out of brothels, some of the worst... forms of oppression around the world." Teng has travelled to various countries making presentations about human trafficking to government agencies and helping human trafficking victims. She has drawn attention to human trafficking incidents relating to cocoa production in Ivory Coast, the textile industry in Asia, and sex trafficking in Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

By February 2011, Teng had approximately six human-trafficking-related speaking engagements per month in various locations, despite never having gotten involved with any public speaking before the previous summer. She speaks at churches, schools, and community groups. One of her early talks was at the home of Agatha Kube in South Surrey, where Teng made suggestions about how to combat human trafficking, took questions from the attendees, and made recommendations of human trafficking documentaries and books. She later declared that every one of the more than thirty people who attended "was very engaged in the topic". Teng was scheduled to go on a 2012 tour of British Columbia and the Yukon with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada to speak with young girls about human trafficking.

Work in Canada

Political activism

In October 2010, Teng met with Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada, to discuss a national plan for combatting human trafficking nationwide. This discussion was made possible because Teng had been named Miss B.C. World. The two spoke at Harper's house in Ottawa, where Teng did a presentation on the issue and made recommendations. The next day, Teng received a letter from Harper stating that human trafficking was an important issue to him, although Teng said that she "would like to see even more, to be very honest, from him as the person entrusted with the responsibility to protect the Canadian people." She spoke positively about the Parliament of Canada's passing of Bill C-268, called An Act to amend the Criminal Code (minimum sentence for offences involving trafficking of persons under the age of eighteen years), which established mandatory sentencing minimums for those convicted of the trafficking of children. She believed that more needed to be done politically on this matter, so she began to meet with MPs in the Metro Vancouver area.

In November 2011, Teng and Smith spoke at a breakfast in the Rural Municipality of East St. Paul. The two spoke about human trafficking issues such as Smith's Private Member's Bill C-310, which was eventually passed as An Act to amend the Criminal Code (trafficking in persons). Also that month, Smith partnered with Bruce Stanton, Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, to host a reception in Teng's honour at which Teng gave a speech to Senators and MPs about human trafficking and how to address it.

In January 2012, Teng partnered with Todd Hauptman and Danny Ferguson of Langley Youth Unlimited to host Wake Up: A Night Against Exploitation at Langley Township Civic Facility. The organizers sought to use the event to eradicate sexual slavery from Langley. The evening started with a screening of Enslaved and Exploited, which was followed by a discussion facilitated by Langley's two mayors on the topic of how to combat sex trafficking. A police officer and some social workers were also on this panel. In relation to the event, Teng said that "Langley is perfectly positioned to be a national leader in the fight against human trafficking." Derek Cooke, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superintendent in Langley, attended the event, as did members of the Langley board of education and others. One member of the audience recommended the creation of a human trafficking task force in Langley, and Teng joined others in seeking to make this task force a reality. The task force eventually came into existence, with members including Teng, Hauptman, Ferguson, other Langley Youth Unlimited members, Langley Board of Education trustee Megan Dykeman, Langley Township Councillor Michelle Sparrow, and other community members.

In April, Teng and Hauptman presented Langley Township with a plan they were working on called the "End Exploitation Langley Action Plan". As part of the presentation, Teng and Hauptman asked the township to accept the plan's first two stages, which focused on prevention and education. This portion of the plan would provide training to people combatting human trafficking, and would provide them with the resources needed to recognize the signs of sexual slavery. Teng likened this portion of the plan to the Block Parent Program. The ultimate goal of the plan would be to be able to label Langley a "Zero Tolerance Community" with respect to human trafficking, setting a precedent for the other communities in the country. Teng has also inspired the institution of a regular, ongoing conversation in Langley to explore possibilities about how to combat human trafficking in the area.

Public awareness initiatives

Teng participated in Buying Sex is Not a Sport: Vancouver Initiative to Prevent Human Trafficking, a campaign that took place during the 2010 Winter Olympics. In July 2011, Teng attended a screening of Enslaved and Exploited hosted by Five Stones Church as part of a series of documentary screenings at the Heritage Grill in New Westminster. That September, Teng attended Toronto's second annual Freedom Walk, hosted by Stop Child Trafficking Now, Freedom Relay Canada, and Oakville's Free-Them. At this event aimed at raising awareness about human trafficking nationally and internationally, Teng was joined by such other abolitionists as Natasha Falle, founder of Sex Trade 101; Trisha Baptie, co-founder of EVE; Shae Invidiata, founder of Free-Them; Timea Nagy, a former sex trafficking victim; Constable Lepa Jankovic; MP Joy Smith, someone widely known for her opposition to human trafficking; MP Olivia Chow; and MP Terence Young.

In March 2011, Teng organized the Freedom Week campaign in the Lower Mainland with Todd Hauptman, a worker in the office of Member of the Legislative Assembly Mary Polak. The campaign was primarily young-adult-organized; there was not much input from older adults. Teng's father found this fact "the most amazing thing about Freedom Week." Teng said that "victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation were found in communities all across the Lower Mainland" that year. She had hoped to use the event to connect people with organizations opposing human trafficking, and also to form relationships between these organizations. Before the campaign, she was in talks with Not for Sale, Exodus Cry, and IJM. The campaign involved a prayer meeting, performance art in various locations, and a walk in Langley. Teng had first recommended this walk, called the Freedom March, to the Langley city council in the summer of 2010 and the walk became the main event of the Freedom Week campaign. The Freedom March was 5 kilometers long and included an information session in Douglas Park. Speakers at the information session included Peter Fassbender, Mayor of the City of Langley; Mark Warawa, MP for Langley; and Jamie McIntosh, founder of IJM Canada. The three spoke about human trafficking on a local, national, and international level respectively. Teng expected that attendees would be surprised by the information they were given and she hoped that they would be moved to action against human trafficking. Teng expected 2000 people to attend. Portions of the Fraser Highway were shut down to accommodate the events. Some of the week's events were held in Surrey and Coquitlam, including a dance performance at Chandos Pattison Auditorium, a prayer meeting in Coquitlam, and a performance of Limbo, a human-trafficking-themed play, at Christian Life Assembly. Teng said that the beauty of the week came from the fact that it included "people of all ages, from all walks of life, banding together". All of the events were free, but donations were accepted for organizations opposing human trafficking.

Also in 2011, Teng led the Ignite the Road to Justice Mission Tour, a tour that began at Vancouver's Coastal Church on August 14. The church was full and between 12 and 14 non-governmental organizations were represented. Then, the tour travelled to nine other Canadian cities raising awareness about human trafficking around the world. These cities included Kamloops, Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, and St. Catharines. The last event of the tour took place on September 4 in Toronto. The tour came into being as a result of the Freedom Week campaign Teng had organized the spring prior. Teng's team for the Ignite the Road to Justice tour included Kevin Boese, a recording artist; Tania Fiolleau, a former madam who once had more than 500 prostitutes working under her; Anna Demian; and several human-trafficking informants, such as Glendene Grant, mother of human trafficking victim Jessie Foster. Teng had met Grant that April in Langley. Grant later expressed her relief to have Teng's support in combatting human trafficking. This team drove from city to city. In each city, the team partnered with local organizations in order to encourage participation. In Kamloops, the team met in Calvary Community Church and Riverside Park, where Teng spoke from the shell. While in Thunder Bay, Teng spoke about human trafficking at Evangel Church. Independent donations funded the tour. The goal of the tour was to foster a grassroots movement that was unified across the country to fight human trafficking. The Ignite the Road to Justice team argued that, in order to reduce human trafficking, the selling of sex should be decriminalized and the buying of sex should be criminalized. The team circulated a petition stating that "the demand for commercial sex with women and children is the root cause for prostitution and trafficking for sexual purposes."

Schools

In early 2011, Teng spoke at Walnut Grove Secondary School in Walnut Grove and urged the school's students to petition the Government of Canada to pass laws opposing human trafficking. She had been invited to speak at the school by Anna Demian, one of the students. In response to Teng's visit, students at the school wrote letters to their MP, Mark Warawa. The letters that Teng inspired these students to write were not form letters, but each was personalized, and there were hundreds in total. Warawa attested to never having received so many letters on the same issue before. The day after the letters were delivered, Warawa approached Teng saying that the letters had convinced him of the need for an action plan to combat human trafficking in Langley.

In December of that year, Teng spoke about human trafficking at Rideau High School in Ontario, having been invited by Kourtney McCordic, a Grade 12 student and member of React, a group at the school that engages in social activism. In this speech, Teng called on the men in the audience to "use [their] strength to empower others," and she called on the women to "know how beautiful and valuable" they are, saying, "You are meant to be fought for." Teng brought three different petitions to the school for the students to participate in. One of these called on the federal government of Canada to make laws analogous to Sweden's Sex Purchase Act, which was enacted there in 1999 to make purchasing sex illegal; in Sweden, those who are caught buying sex serve jail time, and those who are prostituted are treated by the government as victims, and are given exit strategies, rehabilitation, and job training. Teng said that Sweden's Sex Purchase Act "has a proven success rate for protecting women in prostitution and decreasing human trafficking." A second petition sought to impose penalties for traffickers, while the other demanded the implementation of a national anti-human-trafficking strategy. McCordic called Teng's opposition of human trafficking in Canada "really awesome."

In 2012, the Walnut Grove Secondary Value of Life group at Walnut Grove Secondary School hosted two Zumba fundraisers for anti-human-trafficking initiatives. Teng attended both the March and the December fundraisers, giving the welcome address at the former. Teng's speech at the school the previous February was one of the primary inspirations for these fundraisers. She gave a talk at Hillcrest Elementary School in June 2013. Teng said that on nearly every occasion that she has spoken in public about human trafficking, she has been approached by a teenaged girl who tells her about having been targeted by a prospective pimp. She said that she cannot count the times that girls have approached her in this manner after her speeches at schools ranging from West Point Grey Academy to inner-city schools in Downtown Vancouver. She said that many of these girls cry as they tell their stories and that they have normally never heard the terms "forced prostitution" and "human trafficking" defined, despite having experienced these situations personally. Teng argued that, because they had not been previously educated on these subjects, they did not know how to get out of these situations once they were in them. Teng said that these girls tend to be approximately 15 or 16 years old.

Work outside of Canada

Teng has fought against human trafficking in such countries as the Dominican Republic, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore. She has met with people living in slums who are not officially recognized by their government, and has also, conversely, met with heads of government. In the United States, she mentored children in inner city Brooklyn and Harlem.

Cambodia and Thailand

In May 2011, Teng hosted a concert called "Heart of Hope - Destination Thailand" at the Chief Sepass Theatre in Fort Langley to raise funds for Samantha Pasielski and Janna Cressman to go on a six-month short-term mission to Thailand with Power to Change; Pasielski and Cressman were to set up a Disciples Ready in Mobile Evangelism base in Thailand through which they would perform street theatre. Performers at the concert included The Source Dance Company, Zachary Park, and Courtney Bridge. That June, she visited poor towns and slums in both Cambodia and Thailand in which none of the families still had their daughters; all of the girls had been sold into sexual slavery by their families. In these towns, she spoke with the family members of human trafficking victims. She also spent much time in red-light districts where she heard the stories of victims in brothels and bars. Many of these victims were from Moldova, having been tricked into moving to Moscow under a false promise of work and then shipped to Turkey to be broken in before being moved to Thailand.

One of the red-light districts that Teng visited was Thailand's Patpong, where she partnered with Rahab Ministries Thailand to spend time with female human trafficking survivors, preparing a banquet with them on the top floor of a four-story building in the middle of the red-light district. Some of the women had been disowned by their families because of the shame of their pasts. After the meal, Teng sang a song for the women in Engilsh about the love of Christ. The song was "I Give You My Heart". The women recognized the song and sang it back to her in Thai. Teng later said that "there has never been a more beautiful moment" in her life, because these women seemed to recognize their intrinsic value through their song despite having been told for so long that they were just "made for cheap sex." Teng said this moment affirmed to her that fighting against human trafficking was something God had called her to do with her life.

Teng's father joined her in both Cambodia and Thailand. Teng was in Thailand in June and spoke at the MTV Freedom Concert there in support of MTV EXIT, a campaign to end human trafficking and exploitation. She had an audience of 40,000 people, which was her biggest audience up until that point. The concert took place in Chiang Mai and sought to raise awareness on the issue. The Cambodia trip was in partnership with Traffic Jam, an advocacy group; and World Orphans, another organization that opposes human trafficking. While on this trip, she went to Svay Pak to visit Ratanak International, an organization that works with children who have been sexually exploited commercially. She also met with members of the Somaly Mam Foundation. Teng said that "Thailand and Cambodia [are] notorious as sex trafficking hotspots."

Korea

In February 2012, Teng was one of two keynote speakers at the Freedom and Honor Conference in Seoul, South Korea. The other keynote speaker was David Batstone, president and co-founder of Not for Sale. Teng said she "love[s] the way that, specifically, the Not For Sale Campaign is able to work." At the Freedom and Honor Conference, which was hosted by Onnuri Community Church's Hope Be Restored ministry and Not for Sale Korea, Teng quoted Luke 4:18-19 in which Jesus makes his first public speech, consisting of a lection from the Book of Isaiah and a statement that the passage applied to himself. Luke 4:18-19 reads "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." Teng also visited Paju where she met with Eco Gender, an organization that runs aftercare centres for former human trafficking victims. Later, Teng spoke about human trafficking at Onnuri Community Church, where she encouraged the members of the church to become involved with Eco Gender. The church's lead pastor Eddie Byun called Teng "an incredible joy, a bundle of energy."

Teng researched the state of human trafficking in South Korea before arriving in the country, and found that, despite the illegality of prostitution in the country, sex trafficking is prevalent, encompassing the forced prostitution of more than a million South Korean women in red-light districts like Yong Ju Gol and other areas, not including women from other countries who have been trafficked into South Korea for the purpose of forced prostitution. She said that economic materialism in the country, which is visible in the sizable South Korean fashion and cosmetic industries, contributes to domestic human trafficking because many young women become burdened by significant debt, victimized by loan sharks, and overwhelmed with multiple credit cards to pay off. Teng said that the women who find themselves in this situation are often targeted by traffickers who entice the women with the possibility of paying off their debt through prostitution, when, in actuality, the traffickers ensure that the women's debt never gets paid off. Teng said that sex trafficking victims in South Korea are often sold in kissing rooms, massage parlours, and karaoke bars. While in South Korea, Teng said her best experience in the country was the Freedom and Honor Conference. She also said that "Korea's become like a second home" to her and that "there's something beautiful about the way South Koreans treat each other as family." She said that she was inspired to see Koreans beginning to combat human trafficking domestically and internationally. She found the human trafficking awareness work Not for Sale Korea had been doing successful, and expected that this work would continue after she left the country.

Sri Lanka and the Philippines

As an ambassador for World Vision, Teng travelled to villages in Sri Lanka and the Philippines to visit the children sponsored by Canadians through this charitable organization. She went on this trip in the fall of 2012 and considered the trip the most exciting one she went on while Miss World Canada. Teng was not the only person World Vision sent to Sri Lanka; the organization also sent Sarah Taylor, a VJ for MuchMusic; Tyler Medeiros, a pop singer; and Gary Taxali, a recognized illustrator. In Sri Lanka, she visited World Vision's development programs in Thanamalvila Divisional Secretariat and Bogawantalawa in order to aid in related fundraising efforts. She had a near-death experience in rural Sri Lanka while someone was taking a picture of her feeding corn to a wild, adult elephant under an electric fence next to a road; instead of grasping the corn, the elephant wrapped its trunk around Teng's arm and began pulling her under the fence. It is common for people to be pulled under in this manner and then crushed by the elephants, but Sri Lankan villagers came to Teng's rescue. While in the Philippines, she hosted a "princess party" at Barangay School at which all of the girls received crowns; she said that seeing the girls' joy at wearing these crowns moved her emotionally.

Responses

In response to Teng's opposition to human trafficking, several local churches have labelled themselves "justice churches" and have developed social-justice-related events and initiatives. Teng was one of the key people who convinced Louie Giglio to make human trafficking a primary focus of the 2010 Passion Conference; the conference ended up raising 3 million dollars for organizations opposing human trafficking. Michelle Brock of Hope for the Sold wrote that Teng is "determined, motivated, and full of energy, but she is also humble, compassionate, and others-focused" and that "her passion to fight human trafficking is contagious." Before the month was over, Bert Chen wrote a letter to the editor that was published in the Langley Advance expressing his disappointment that there were not more Langley young people like Teng active in social causes such as abolitionism. In May 2013, Gussie Kooijman, an adolescent girl who had recently graduated from high school in North Saanich, wrote an opinion piece that was published in the Times Colonist supporting Teng in raising awareness about prostitution and human trafficking in Canada; the thrust of the letter was an appeal to criminalize the purchasing rather than the selling of sex in Canada, in emulation of Sweden's Sex Purchase Act.

Women's rights, neuroscience, marine conservation, and homelessness

In 2009, Teng founded Undies for Africa, a charitable organization that sends panties and brassieres to Zambia, where another charitable organization, Villages of Hope, distributes the clothing to women there in order to raise their social status and thereby help prevent their being sexually assaulted. Teng was helped in this endeavour by a lingerie store that she was working for at the time: Nectar Lingerie. Undies for Africa sent its first shipment of undergarments in April 2010, and Teng attested to receiving many letters from Zambian girls and women expressing their appreciation. That October, Teng appeared at Diamond Delivery in support of fundraisers for the Korle-Bu Neuroscience Foundation. In October 2012, Teng demonstrated her support of Szechuan Chongqing's joining of the Ocean Wise program by appearing unannounced at the restaurant in her capacity as Miss World Canada; Teng supports marine conservation and likes to visit the Vancouver Aquarium, particularly because of the beluga whales there. Teng has also worked in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside with the homeless there.

Dalits

In 2011, Teng founded Send Love, a campaign to connect India's Dalit children with children in North America. That summer, she visited California to speak on the topic of social justice and represented Dalit Freedom Network Canada by speaking in Ottawa about the significant risk of exploitation that Dalits and other vulnerable groups face. In July, she was invited by Wellbrook Winery to be a special guest at Summerfest in Delta, where she appeared at a booth run by Hope for Dalit Women, a local organization raising awareness about the Dalits and selling items handmade by Dalit women.

Pageants

Philosophy

Teng self-identifies as an abolitionist rather than a beauty queen because she uses her beauty pageant fame as a platform to raise awareness about human trafficking. Many of her discussions with governments on the topic of human trafficking have been facilitated by her pageant titles. She is reluctant to wear tiaras and sashes, but does so when she believes that they will aid her in raising social awareness. She finds that people who hear of her pageant wins often try to fit her into the stereotype that a beauty queen is someone who is intelligent and physically attractive, but not a leader or someone with strong convictions. She said that she likes to prove these people wrong. Frank Stirk of ChristianWeek agreed that Teng does not fit the beauty queen stereotype. In September 2011, Teng said: "I'm not a pageant girl. I'm not a beauty queen. I'm an abolitionist." She also said that she hates being compared to Miss South Carolina Teen USA contestant Caitlin Upton who incorrectly responded to a question about maps; Teng believes that she and Upton are quite different people. She also believes that she is more self-aware than most beauty pageant contestants. She has called herself "the most untypical beauty pageant winner that is out there," partially because she is shorter than most winners, standing at only 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in); and partially because she prefers to go barefoot, let her hair down, and wear long skirts associated with hippies rather than wear cosmetics and high-heeled footwear. Alan Woo of Vancouver Magazine agreed that Teng stands in contrast to the "babes in bikinis who [want] to 'help the less fortunate' and 'make a difference.'" Similarly, Ann Mainse of the "Full Circle" segment on 100 Huntley Street said that, "aside from the beauty thing, there is nothing typical about this pageant winner."

Teng believes that the beauty pageants in which she has participated do not fit the popular stereotype of what a beauty pageant is; she has called them "a lot of fun. It's crazy and it's chaotic." In particular, she found the Miss World competition unique in making personal development and leadership the focus; she said that the judges look for "unique individuality." Teng has never appeared in a swimsuit competition, and there are no images of her online in a swimsuit. When a CTV News interviewer asked Teng on CTV Morning Live what little girls should do to become a beauty queen apart from not eating cake for breakfast, Teng responded: "If it has to do with stopping eating cake, then, I don't know what to tell you, because that's definitely not my method." This interviewer also called her "gorgeous" and "an amazing woman, beautiful inside and out." At all of Teng's beauty pageants, the judges were impressed by her volunteer work and strong opposition to human trafficking. Teng's mother Lori said that she and her husband taught Tara "to love herself and she eats what she wants without worrying about dieting to be thin."

Miss B.C. World

Teng began to consider trying out for her first beauty pageant when she was a university student; she mentioned an article about the Miss B.C. World competition to a friend, and he responded saying "You gotta do it." Teng then went to an interview for the competition and was immediately accepted. Three days later, she went on a month-long trip to Honduras and Guatemala where she taught English and learned Spanish on a three-week student exchange program. There, she held emaciated infants whose parents couldn't afford to feed them, and visited a city landfill at which people were picking food to eat out of the trash. She said that these experiences made her reflect on social justice and on what being a Christian means. It was while she was on this trip that she fully decided to enter the Miss B.C. World competition, which takes place annually in Fort Langley. She stated that her reason for making this decision was because she was "tired of being afraid." She later credited God with having given her the opportunity to compete in the Miss B.C. World competition and with having arranged the timing of the interview to be just before she left for the trip. At the 2010 competition, Teng competed against 45 other young women with whom she raised money for Cops for Cancer, totalling $32,000. By this time, the pageant had replaced its swimsuit competition with a sportswear competition in which the competitors wore such things as ice hockey equipment, boxing gloves, and soccer kits. This pageant was the first one in which she participated. Teng's platform at the Miss B.C. World competition was human trafficking. In preparation for the pageant, she and the other participants were trained by professionals to improve their assertiveness, public speaking, self-esteem, etiquette, modelling, stage presence, interview skills, and self-defence.

On July 4, Teng won the Miss B.C. World competition, despite not anticipating doing so, making her the seventh person and the first Christian to be crowned Miss B.C. World. She also won the pageant's People's Choice Award. She said that appearing in the competition was "not about the crown" but "about the message and standing up for truth and justice." Every Miss B.C. World chooses a social issue as a platform; previous winners chose such issues as disabilities in children; breast cancer; child abuse; and the need for blood donations. Darren Storsley, the producer of Miss B.C. World, called Teng "the most inspiring person" he had ever met, and also referred to her as "an amazing ambassador for our province [and] for our country." As Miss B.C. World, Teng, on her own initiative, appeared at two camps on Vancouver Island: Camp Qwanoes and Camp Imadene. At these camps, Teng shared her Christian testimony with young female campers. Teng said that "the crown seems to capture real authority with the younger girls." After the camp was over, she received e-mails of questions from some of the girls, and she began to mentor them. She planned to return to Camp Imadene the following year. In July 2011, she passed on her Miss B.C. World crown to the 2011 winner, Cheryl Dietrich, who expressed her hope that Teng would eventually pass on the Miss Canada crown to her as well. Hannah Seaman, another young woman from Langley, was crowned Miss B.C. World in 2012, claiming Teng as her inspiration; Seaman called Teng an "amazing representative for Canada" because of her work towards ending human trafficking.

Miss Canada

After winning the Miss B.C. World competition, Teng planned to attend another pageant, but withdrew after discovering that the focus of the new pageant she had entered was on body image and included a bikini competition. She said that she didn't "want something like the bikini swimwear contest to water down the message" she wanted to convey about human trafficking. Within days of her withdrawl from this pageant, the host of the Miss Canada competition added her on Facebook and asked if Teng would compete for the Miss Canada title. The Miss Canada competition is Canada's oldest extant pageant, and Teng agreed to participate. At the opening dinner for the contestants, Teng made a speech in which she stated that human trafficking is something that she has been fighting against for a long time, that she didn't choose it simply as a beauty pageant platform, and that the judges shouldn't pick her if they don't like her stance on the subject, because she wouldn't change it for the sake of winning a pageant.

The Miss Canada competition started on January 26, 2011, and, three days later, Teng was crowned Miss Canada in Montreal, making her the first Miss Canada from British Columbia since Summerland's Nicole Dunsdon was crowned in 1992. Teng said that the Miss Canada competition is about choosing a role model to represent Canada to the world rather than being about choosing a supermodel, which is what the Miss Universe pageant looks for. She also said that winning the Miss Canada pageant brings with it more expectations than winning the Miss B.C. World pageant. Teng spoke about human trafficking as part of the Miss Canada competition as well, and, once she was crowned, she became even more active in raising awareness about the issue. Within the first month of her reign as Miss Canada, she said: "My goal as Miss Canada is unchanging from my mission as Miss British Columbia." She also said that the Miss Canada title fits naturally with speaking out against human trafficking. She further said that she "never would have dreamed that [she] would be Miss Canada, or that [she] would have the provincial title of Miss British Columbia." She found that being Miss Canada gave her new avenues to raise awareness about human trafficking.

Soon after being crowned, Teng was featured on several Iranian websites which displayed a photograph of her in a veil that covered her hair. These websites praised Teng for being modest in how she dressed and more concerned with "inner beauty" than physical attractiveness. While the Kodoom website agreed with these websites about Teng's modesty, Kodoom emphasized that Teng sometimes wears dresses with low necklines and, while she may occasionally wear a veil, she does not wear a hijab. That June, in her capacity as Miss Canada, she was the marshall for the Community Day parade in Langley. Joy Smith said that, "as Miss Canada, [Teng] has been such a strong voice among her generation and all Canadians for the abolition of human trafficking." Teng's reign as Miss Canada lasted until January 2012. At the 2012 Miss Canada pageant, Teng spent some time with Jaclyn Miles, who won that year's competition. In order to advocate on behalf of sexual abuse victims, Miles spoke openly at the competition about her own personal history of being sexually bullied, abused, and assaulted, and Teng told Miles that their Miss World platforms were similar, which Miles had not previously realized. Teng convinced Miles that human trafficking happens in Canada; Miles subsequently joined Joy Smith in her anti-human-trafficking efforts. On March 20, Teng appeared as Miss Canada at the Vancouver Fashion Week opening gala with Marika Siewert, a performing artist; and Ron Wear, a former Mr. World Canada.

Miss World Canada

In 2012, the organizers of the Miss World Canada Competition asked Teng, on the basis of her physical appearance and anti-human-trafficking advocacy, to participate in their pageant. In May 2012 at Richmond's River Rock Casino Resort, Teng won this competition, despite not participating in the swimsuit competition; she opted to withdraw from the swimsuit portion of Miss World Canada, and gave her reasons by saying, "I really wanted what showcased who I am as an individual to be my character and my convictions and my integrity." In addition to Teng, the other competitors in the top five were Thalia Kiriopolous, Courtney Woodford, Tanya Halata, and Lisa Deane; Halata and Deane were second and first runners-up respectively. The Miss World Canada competition involved raising money for charity, and Teng's charitable organization of choice was Variety, the Children's Charity. In addition to gaining the title of Miss World Canada, she was also awarded leadership opportunities, scholarships, and a fully funded trip to the Miss World 2012 competition. A dinner was planned to honour Teng before she left for this pageant, but it was cancelled.

The Miss World 2012 pageant took place that July in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, China and, there, she competed for the world title at the 62nd Miss World pageant; more than 2 billion people watched the competition and 116 countries entered contestants. Before leaving, Teng said that she was "honoured to represent Canada on the global stage at Miss World" and expressed gratitude for the people who supported her along the way, including her friends and family. Ike Lalji, chairman of the Miss World Canada competition, said that Teng had made a more significant contribution to improving the lives of people around the world than any previous Miss World Canada. He further stated that Teng "is a great representative not only for Canada, but for the world." At the Miss World 2012 competition, Teng met three women with whom she became close friends: Iris Thomsen, a professional dancer who won the Miss World Denmark competition; Jessica Baldachino, a London, England-trained Spanish and French teacher who was crowned Miss Gibraltar; and Nives Orešnik, a mixed-media art student at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design who was named Miss Slovenia. These four women spent five weeks together at the competition, during which they bonded in their hotel while wearing tiaras and pyjamas, an experience that Teng later recalled as being her funniest memory in connection with beauty pageants. Teng invited Thomsen, Baldachino, and Orešnik to visit her in Canada for a week, promising to show them Canadian mountains if they came. It is traditional for beauty queens to be tall in order to better showcase their legs, but Teng was one of several contestants at this international pageant who were petite, including Arti Cameron, Miss Guyana; Daniela Darmanin, Miss World Malta; Karisa Sukamto, Miss Singapore World; and Taiesa Lashley, Miss U.S. Virgin Islands World. Teng and Sukamto became friends. Because Teng spoke out about human rights issues and Jesus while she was at the competition, China censored her; she was specifically censored on the internet in the country, as her name was made a blacklisted keyword there, resulting in a system shutdown should anyone type her name into a web search engine. Yu Wenxia, Miss China World, was eventually crowned Miss World 2012; when news articles suggested that Yu had won solely because the competition was held in her home country, Teng responded that Yu would have won no matter where the competition was held. Teng's birthday was the day after the last day the competition.

Once the Miss World 2012 competition was over, Teng visited Sukamto in Singapore. Teng had never visited Singapore before, and her parents joined her on this trip, her father having been born there. That October, Teng attended the finale of LG Fashion Week in Toronto. During the fashion show, VAWK's Sunny Fong had a model appear wearing a gold bullet bra as Madonna's "Justify My Love" played; Teng later commented that the Fong's designs were somewhat evocative of fashion typical of Madonna, "but in a new fresh way... that was really exciting." Teng and Ron Wear appeared together in a convertible at that year's Canada Day parade in Vancouver. In February 2013, Teng was asked, as Miss World Canada, to attend a sleepover called "Beautiful, You" at G.W. Graham Middle-Secondary School in Chilliwack. In keeping with the theme of the event, Teng spoke on the topic of self-esteem and body image, as did Marika Siewert, Chilliwack mayor Sharon Gaetz, and others. They had been invited by one of the school's students, Brittany Clough, whose mother knew both Teng's and Siewert's press agents. Also that month, Teng hosted Thomsen, Baldachino, and Orešnik as they visited Vancouver for more than two weeks. During their visit, they appeared on a telethon run by Variety, and they also visited some of Teng's other favourite charitable organizations, including Deborah's Gate, a safe house operated by The Salvation Army. The four also participated in the Women's Memorial March on Valentine's Day. All four women were to pass on their crowns to their successors that year, Teng that May at the River Rock Show Theatre. When Orešnik returned to Slovenia, she said that Teng believes passionately in the causes she promotes, living in accordance with what she believes. Orešnik further said that the reason that Teng is involved in so many humanitarian initiatives is that she cares so much about family, friendship, love, unity, and respect. Orešnik called Teng very religious and hard-working. On May 4, Teng, as Miss World Canada, served as one of three judges at the finals for Langley Has Talent at Christian Life Assembly, the other two judges being Steve Darling, a presenter for Global News; and Mitch Merrett, a record producer and songwriter. Teng said that opera jazz singer Kari Culjat, the winner of the competition, was both comfortable and confident at the finals and that Culjat's performance of "O mio babbino caro" by Giacomo Puccini was significantly enhanced by Culjat's on-stage storytelling. Teng burst out with, "That was freaking amazing!" immediately after Culjat finished her performance.

Awards

In 2010, The Globe and Mail named Teng one of the nominees for their 25 Transformational Canadians list because of her work in advocacy. In 2011, Chatelaine named Teng one of Canada's 29 Women of the Year for her activism. More specifically, she was named one of the "Hot 20 Under 30" for being a member of "the next generation of leaders in" her field; other young women named to this honour included Canadian Olympians and entrepreneurs. There had been 32 nominees for the "Hot 20 Under 30" award that year. As part of International Women's Day in March 2012, Teng was given an award by the Rotary Club of Langley Central to recognize her achievements in combatting human trafficking. Also that month, she was added to the Catalyst Conference's Young Influencers List.

In April 2012, Teng was nominated for a Young Woman of Distinction Award at the Vancouver YWCA Women of Distinction Awards. She said she was excited about the nomination because the winner would choose the YWCA program that would receive Scotiabank's $1,000 donation. If she received the most votes and won the award, she intended to select a program seeking to prevent violence against women because such violence is one of the main causes of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Teng was one of three women from Langley to be nominated for the 2012 Women of Distinction Awards, and the only one to be nominated in the Young Women of Distinction category. On October 27, the Joy Smith Foundation held an event in Toronto called "Honouring Heroes" at which the Foundation awarded Teng the International Freedom Award in recognition of her defence of human rights. That November, she was one of thirty Langley residents to receive the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, which recognizes exceptional contributions to one's country and community. Marika Siewert nominated Teng for the medal and Mark Warawa performed the presentation. Teng called the medal a "huge honour" and expressed her hope that her reception of the medal would bring greater attention to the plight of human trafficking victims.

Bibliography

• Elaine Phillips (November 2012). "More Glimpses: Tara Teng" (PDF). Baptist Horizon. 25 (4): 14–15. Retrieved May 17, 2013.