Summit to address human trafficking in Alabama

The issue of sex and labor trafficking in Alabama will take center stage in Montgomery. The ninth annual Alabama Human Trafficking Summit will feature speakers from law enforcement to victims' support groups. The event is taking place just after West Alabama law officers arrested fifteen people during an undercover sting operation. David Pinkleton is with the Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force. He says trafficking victims in the state can be part of the illegal sex trade or forced to work in restaurants or factories.

“And, unfortunately, that's that reality in our state,” he said. “And the task force is doing, working to is raise awareness about human trafficking…help to come up with laws…legislation.”

The ninth Annual Human Trafficking Summit will focus on how social media is being used to lure young people into the illegal sex trade. The APR news team spent fourteen months investigating human trafficking in Alabama. One story was on how a teenager from Mississippi was ensnared by traffickers through an internet chat room. Pinkleton says it's not just the general public that can be educated during the summit…

“We also want to make sure service providers…anybody who would be a first responder, or come into contact with a potential victim…knows not only the warning signs, but what are the steps necessary and needed to help these individuals get rescued and ultimately rehabilitated,” he said

The APR news team's human trafficking investigation resulted in an invitation from The U.S. State Department to address a delegation from thirteen African nations. The delegates represented law enforcement, the courts, victims' rights groups, and governmental agencies in Africa that all work to combat trafficking.