Human trafficking workshop Wednesday, Sept. 28 – The Daily Telegram

The Lenawee Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition is hosting an online workshop “Raising Our Consciousness About Human Trafficking” workshop at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, via the video conferencing service Zoom.

The facilitator and host of the workshop is Patricia McDonald, a Siena Heights professor and Adrian Dominican sister. The workshop is part of the coalition's miniseries on human trafficking. To attend, email [email protected] to receive the meeting link. Those interested can call 517-264-6821 for more information.

Human trafficking is a humanitarian crisis that is a form of modern-day slavery, a news release said. Not only is human trafficking prevalent around the world, but also cases are reported in all 50 states. Human trafficking victims are trafficked for a variety of purposes, such as commercial sex, agricultural work or other forms of labor. The face of human trafficking can be rich, poor, men, women, adults, children, foreign national or U.S. citizen.

In Lenawee County, there has been an Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force or Coalition for more than 10 years, formed initially through the Adrian Dominican Sisters. Its goal has been to promote education, awareness and advocacy of human trafficking. The Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition is affiliated with a larger group called the Lenawee Coalition Against Abuse and Trafficking (LenCAAT) that also addresses domestic violence and sexual assault.

Included in the coalition are representatives of the Lenawee County Prosecutor's Office, Child Advocacy Center, Catherine Cobb Safe House, ProMedica Hickman Hospital sexual assault nurse examiners, Lenawee County Sheriff's Office, Adrian Police Department, United Way, Adrian Dominican Sisters and area mental health professionals. Sister Marilyn Winter and Laura Schultz Pipis are co-facilitators of the Lenawee Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition.