(Photo above: In Our Backyard by Nita Belles)
Human trafficking happens every day here in the high desert. Come and find out how to recognize it and how you can help stop it. The event will be held at St. Charles Medical Center (Conference Room A), Tuesday, June 16 from 6-9pm.
“We have seen cases of both labor and sex trafficking here. Unless we all band together, human trafficking is here to stay and it is no respecter of persons. It can happen to those who don’t even believe it happens here,” says Nita Belles, author of In Our Backyard and a national expert on human trafficking in the United States. Belles will conduct a community training for Central Oregon Oregonians Against Trafficking Humans (COOATH), an organization she founded in 2009.
The training will discuss modern slavery as it occurs in the high desert, how to recognize the signs and what each of us can do to help fight this terrible crime. Everyone in the community is encouraged to attend. Pre-registration at cooath@gmail.com is appreciated but not required. The event is free but a freewill donation will be accepted to offset event expenses.
If you are interested in scheduling awareness training for your group or organization, please visit our website at www.cooath.org or contact cooath@gmail.com.
“We often hear of human trafficking in big cities but what we don’t hear often enough is that right here in Central Oregon we have seen evidence of many kinds of human trafficking. We are working hard to help our community recognize the signs of human trafficking and report suspicious activities which could be trafficking,” says Belles.
Statistics show that one out of every three runaway teens will be lured towards sex trafficking within 48 hours of running away. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center reported that Oregon ranked 21st in call volume of all 50 states and Washington D.C. in 2013.
Since its inception in September 2009, COOATH has made presentations to more than 5,000 people. Venues have included governmental agencies, churches, social service organizations, law enforcement, and concerned citizens. However, the demand for human trafficking information is still resounding.
COOATH promotes public awareness, provides training and education, coordinates victim resources as well as assists in the aggressive prosecution of human traffickers within the state of Oregon. For more information visit: www.cooath.org.
