Local agencies recently collaborated to combat Human Trafficking and increase awareness.
The Village Chapel in Pinehurst hosted a Human Trafficking forum with Friend to Friend, Moore County Sheriff’s Office, Five Sparrows, and 50 Moore County citizens in attendance.
Sheriff Godfrey reassured Moore County Citizens that “Today, statistically in Moore County, we do not have a Human Trafficking problem. However, I do want to make you aware that our potential target populations have significantly increased. While Human Trafficking is not a new business, it has become very sophisticated. With the internet, Human Trafficking predators can easily find victims in any community including our community. They are very skilled in attracting and victimizing young innocent victims.”
Friend to Friend Executive Director, Anne Friesen, discussed the many services Friend to Friend provides Moore County citizens such as Domestic Violence Counseling, Parenting Classes, the many initiatives they are a part of, and the efforts to assist in Human Trafficking.
Five Sparrows, CEO, Pete Twedell discussed the global challenge identifying all the ingredients in Human Trafficking and urged citizens to volunteer to help combat the problem.
Local law enforcement is combating Human Trafficking by being active participants in a Moore County Human Trafficking Task Force to lean forward in combating this growing criminal trend. Deputies and officers are being trained to recognize signs of Human Trafficking and how they should respond when they see these signs. In addition, law enforcement has developed resource-partnerships through Changing Destiny Ministries and Friend to Friend to provide housing and counseling for victims.
The citizens who attended the forum learned what Human Trafficking is, how they can identify it, and what they can do to help.
Contributed photo from Moore County Sheriff’s Office
