College of the Canyons (COC) held its annual SCV Human Trafficking Summit in Valencia on Friday. 

On Friday, COC held its annual Human Trafficking Summit event at the University Center where attendees came from all over the country to discuss their experiences and share prevention and rescue processes. 

Kia Dupclay shared her story of how she was human trafficked twice, first at the age of 15 when she was kidnapped from a bus stop, and a second time when she later ran away from her group foster home. 

“My first trafficker held me up at gunpoint and took me,” Dupclay of her experience. 

Hundreds of minors are trafficked each year for various reasons, and the most at-risk demographic are typically ones in foster care, according to officials. 

It was only when Dupclay entered her first true foster home, where she had a two-parent household and that one-on-one connection, that she finally felt safe and could live her life and graduate from high school. 

“When I went to my first foster home, that is where I had the most success. The home environment is just so powerful and having that one-on-one connection,” Dupclay said.  

The event also offered a CEU presentation for foster kids who have aged out of the system and a panel discussion where attendees could ask questions, which is dedicated to raising awareness and preventing human trafficking. 

The course included a comprehensive review of human trafficking, including identifying signs of human trafficking such as grooming tactics of exploiters, trauma-informed engagement and awareness of victim-sensitive language when interacting with suspected victims of trafficking and more. 

“I was really embarrassed about the situation, because even at 18 years (old) I thought I should of had it together, and now I’m 30 with a baby and I still don’t have it together,” Dupclay said. “Just having that expectation did me just such an injustice to myself at such a young age… to be perfect.” 

Organizations that were at the event were Santa Clarita Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, Henry Mayo Newhall hospital, Child and Family Center, Zoe, Saving Innocence and more to help show support. 

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