Human trafficking seminar set for this Saturday
By Roxanne Thompson
January is Human Trafficking Awareness month, and those who want to counter this activity in Limestone County are encouraged to attend an event this Saturday, Jan. 30, 1-4 p.m. to learn more about this social problem and what they can do about it.
The training event involves a speaker giving information about human trafficking in Central Texas, and attendees are given small posters to distribute to local businesses and organizations to in turn post at their locations, e.g. in the restrooms or other discreet areas. The posters offer help to victims of human traffickers, giving a helpline phone number (888-373-7888) and describing how to tell if they might be a victim of human trafficking. Believe it or not, many victims do not realize they are victims.
The Heart of Texas Human Trafficking Coalition is sponsoring the 'Not in My City' outreach event, which will be happening at the same time in six counties across the heart of Texas, including Limestone, Freestone, McLennan, Bosque, Falls and Hill counties.
For Limestone and Freestone counties, the event will be held at Church on the Rock, 1470 State Hwy. 14, which is on the north side of Groesbeck near the high school.
According to a video produced by the Coalition, 45 million people are enslaved by human trafficking worldwide; 79,000 youth are involved in sex trafficking in Texas; and 234,000 people in Texas are ensnared in labor trafficking.
Visit the Heart of Texas Human Trafficking Coalition (www.hothtc.org/notinmycity) to register for Saturday’s seminar, so they will know how many materials to have on hand.
Some of the organizations that are members of the Human Trafficking Coalition include national entities like the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Office of U.S. Senator John Cornyn, the Office of the Governor of Texas, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation; also local law enforcement agencies and agencies who help the victims, such as Unbound in Waco.
