Human Trafficking In Your Own Backyard
MANASSAS, VA—Human Trafficking is modern day slavery. It is happening all over the United States and in our local communities of Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park. There is a huge demand for young victims and school age children are particularly vulnerable. Last year, gang members were arrested for recruiting Prince William high school girls into prostitution. Pimps target minors at malls, clubs, social activities, through social media, chat rooms, friends, and even other girls at school.
Our main focus will be to raise awareness of this crime to parents, guardians, health care workers, teachers, and others working with middle school students in order to help stop it from happening to those in their care. Attendees will learn how children are drawn into trafficking, how to recognize trafficking victims and the difficulty and challenges facing them in their journey back into normal society.
Our panel of experts include officers from Prince William County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit, Dr. Courtney Gaskins, Director of Program Services at Youth for Tomorrow, Laura Glasscock Director of ACTS/SAVAS and Deepa Patel, CSOTP, LCSW, Gang Intervention Program Coordinator, Multicultural Clinical Center. A question and answer period will follow.
Please join Soroptimist International of Manassas and George Mason University Life for our second annual anti-human trafficking symposium, March 28th, from 6:30 to 9pm, Verizon Auditorium, George Mason University, 10900 University Boulevard, Manassas, Virginia. The event is free.
For more information or to R.S.V.P. contact Becky Goodman at 703-369-1325 or email info@simanassas.org.
