Members of the community are invited to attend a Human Trafficking Awareness Forum this evening. The North Oconee Rotary Club is working with the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office and others in an effort to raise awareness about the issue. Andrea Wellnitz is co-chair for the event. She says the problem isn’t just international or national, but it’s being felt in state and local area.
“Well it has happened here, so I think that that’s where we need to start the conversation,” according to Wellnitz. “Really by having this conversation with each other, and using these reflective structured dialogue techniques to have a conversation, we hope that we can hope that we can make a difference.”
She says those attending the forum will discover tools to help potential victims.
“We hope that if somebody is being victimized in our community, or is a t-risk for being victimized, that we can make a difference and that’s why we’re having this forum.”
Co-chair Laura Leiden says she hopes the event will encourage others to learn about and help fight the problem.
“The first step to me was to do this forum, I’m hoping that it will motivate, even a small number of people to really take it as their mission to do something about it” Leiden said.
She says the event will provide practical tips on how the average person can become aware of the problem and what to do if they see the signs.
“I agree with Andrea about their learning to spot it and then who to call if they spot it or even think they might have. As we get educated, I think we need to educate our children about it.”
The forum is being held at the Oconee County Civic Center, this evening from 6 to 9 pm. It is free and open to the public.
