Dozens of people gathered in Scarsdale Sunday to prepare for the upcoming Passover holiday and push for human rights improvements around the globe.

The Human Rights Seder was held at the Scarsdale Synagogue. Passover is celebrated by Jews to commemorate their liberation from slavery and oppression.

Organizers say that Passover has a direct link to current human rights issues throughout the world.

"Part of the teaching of the story and of the holiday is that now we're free and we express gratitude for that," said Rabbi Jeffrey Brown. "We have an obligation then to identify others in the world who are maybe suffering and to try to help them."

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin was one of the speakers at the event. Her human sex-trafficking bill was passed by the state Senate months ago, and was unanimously passed by the state Assembly last week. The measure raises the penalty for sex trafficking from one year in prison to five. It also toughens law enforcement tactics against forced prostitution.

Passover begins on April 3 and lasts for approximately one week.