Missions Blog @ Covenant UMC, Dothan

Theresa Flores, author of 'The Slave Across the Street,' spoke of her personal struggle as a Human Trafficking victim.

 

On Friday, September 17, Covenant UMC co-sponsored a Human Trafficking Seminar at Troy University-Dothan campus. In attendance at this first event of its kind were over 120 people, including social workers, counselors, law enforcement, clergy, and many others from our community. Our goal was to introduce this issue into public awareness.

Whereas “smuggling” involves people who willingly come across U.S. borders illegally, “human trafficking” involves people who are held or transported against their will, either for forced labor or prostitution. We often think of human trafficking solely as an immigrant issue, but the powerful testimony of Theresa Flores proves that victims can even come from healthy, upper-class, Christian, Caucasian homes such as hers. Approximately 27 million people in our world today are trafficked victims, aka ‘slaves.’ In other words, there are more slaves in our world today than during the international slave trade era.

We were most shocked to learn that a trafficking ring exists right here in Dothan. Recently, several girls who were rescued in another location shared that they had spent time here in Dothan in forced prostitution. It is customary for victims to be moved around from place to place frequently so that they do not form relationships and seek help. Law enforcement confirmed that trafficking rings do, indeed, exist in Dothan.  Average citizens can be on the lookout for odd behavior. Tell-tale signs that you’ve encountered a victim can be found at www.humantraffickingawareness.org  Nola Theiss, also a presenter at our conference, shared her website as a resource for those who want more information on this important issue.

In the future, we hope that this movement in Dothan will continue through information and offering the possibility of further training for those in our community who might encounter human trafficking victims. Click HERE to read the Dothan Eagle article about our conference.