Preventing and stopping human trafficking is the focus of a free, day-long forum on April 15.
The forum, hosted by the Rotary Club of Marana in partnership with Rotary District 5500 Peacebuilder Clubs, will feature people who work in human trafficking prevention and victim services locally, statewide and nationally.
“Awareness, Hope, Action: A Forum on Human Trafficking” will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 15 at Pima Community College Center for the Performing Arts, 2202 W. Anklam Road. A continental breakfast and sandwich lunch will be served, also at no charge.
Advance registration is required at htps://maranarotary.org/
Human Trafficking is the practice of trading children or adults into forced labor, sexual slavery or sexual exploitation.
Keynote speakers at the forum are Shauna Sexton of the Phoenix Dream Center and Robert Deering of the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery. Panelists include Talitha Baker of International Sanctuary; Jennifer Crawford, a Tucson Police Department human trafficking detective; Katlyn Montje of Cope Behavioral Health; Lt. Zach Young of the Oro Valley Police Department; Stacey Sutherland of Trust Arizona; Marc Testla, a Department of Homeland Security, Arizona human trafficking specialist; Alicia Tucker of the Phoenix Dream Center; and Mark Van Beest of G6 Hospitality.
The Biden administration on Thursday designated 17 countries as not doing enough to combat human trafficking and warned them of potential U.S. sanctions. The administration also called out several U.S. allies and friends, including Israel, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Turkey, for backsliding in their efforts.
