CONTINUING EDUCATION
Did you know that on any given day in 2021, 50 million people were victims of modern slavery across the world, with the largest group being children? Did you know that human trafficking is the second fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world, second only to drugs? “Human trafficking” is a misunderstood concept that conjures images of brothels in foreign lands or the rancor of the immigration debate. Lifelong Learning SMTX will host a workshop held from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 28 at the San Marcos Public Library featuring Kirsta Leeburg Melton, the Institute to Combat Trafficking founder and CEO. This workshop will end the confusion by explaining what human trafficking is and is not and by compelling participants to face the uncomfortable truth: human trafficking is a Texas problem with buyers, sellers and victims in addition to millions of dollars changing hands.
The presentation will focus on vulnerable populations unlikely to self-identify as victims or seek help. Participants will engage with actual cases prosecuted in the state of Texas, learn tools traffickers use to entice and coerce victims and gain practical tools for identifying victims in our own community, especially within corrections, probation and other criminal justice contexts.
