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College Of The Canyons Human Trafficking Conference Gives Testimonies, Resources (VIDEO)

College of the Canyons hosted a human trafficking conference Friday to remind people the issue has become prevalent in California, including the Santa Clarita Valley.


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“It’s Still Happening Right Here! Human Trafficking” raised awareness on sex trafficking and labor trafficking while providing the opportunity to speak with providers of services and other professionals in a variety of fields.

“In order for human trafficking to be considered, force, fraud and/or coercion must be present,” said Becca Channel, task force coordinator for Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking.

Survivors in attendance were Barbara Vasquez, Lydia Ramirez and Tika Thornton, who all advocate against human trafficking.

During the panel discussion, Vasquez shared that family problems led her to sex trafficking and she was in the porn industry since she was 17 years old. Trauma from her brother dying of leukemia, her son’s father being killed, finding out her father wasn’t her actual father and being a Cuban refugee with no documents were vulnerabilities for pimps to target her.

More than 700 cases of human trafficking have been reported in California this year, according to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.

“Human trafficking is not just something that happens in southeast Asia, it’s something that happens in Los Angeles County and often the victims who fall prey to trafficking are vulnerable children, about 70 percent are from foster homes,” said Dan Broyles, chairman of a local task force. “So the more vulnerable the child, the more vulnerable they are to being trafficked.”

Related: One Dismissed, Two Still Face Charges For Human Trafficking In Santa Clarita

Social media, cellphones, and computer search warrants are responsible for the 90 percent of searches done by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. This is a necessity since there is a wide range of technology that can be used to communicate with potential traffickers, said Ray Bercini, co-manager for the Los Angeles regional human trafficking task force.

“It manifests in many forms from Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, also known as CSEC to labor issues in businesses,” said Larry Schallert, assistant director of the Student Health and Wellness / Mental Health program at the college and one of the event’s organizers.

Some of the locations that are most common for labor trafficking or sex trafficking are massage parlors, phone chat lines, residential brothels, gang-related activity and even in elder care, said Channel.

Conference speaker and survivor Barbara Vazquez is now 38 years old and three years clean. She found faith in her newfound Christian religion and has a job advocating against pimps. She now has better communication with her sons, and is a citizen of the United States.

“Everyone is vulnerable,” Channel said, “Know that there’s people you can reach out to if you need help or if you encounter someone that needs services.”

If anyone is or knows someone who may be a victim of human trafficking, they can contact the organizations below:

Department Of Children and Family Services (DCFS) 24 hour service for abuse and neglect involving children

(800) 540-4000

CAST- Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking works to put an end to human trafficking and provides services to survivors

(213) 365-1906

Cherished equips women to help them become productive citizens in their communities

(661) 214-3020

Teen Challenge provides youth, adults and families a Christian faith-based solution to life-controlling problems such as drug and alcohol addiction

(951) 682-8990

 

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College Of The Canyons Human Trafficking Conference Gives Testimonies, Resources (VIDEO)

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About Lorena Mejia

Lorena was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. She attended California State University Northridge where she double majored in Journalism and Chicano Studies and minored in Spanish Language Journalism. While at CSUN, she worked for the university's television and radio newscast. Through her journalistic work, she earned membership to Kappa Tau Alpha, a national honor society for selected journalists. Her passion for the community has introduced her to new people, ideas, and issues that have helped shape the person she is today. Lorena’s skills include using cameras as a tool to empower people by informing them and creating change in their communities. Some of her hobbies include reading the news, exploring the outdoors, and being an avid animal lover. To contact Lorena, send your messages to lorena@hometownstation.com.