Rep. Lindsay Parkhurst (R-Kankakee) is organizing a free public event to raise awareness and knowledge about human trafficking.
Experts, including local businesspeople and members of law enforcement, will come together on Sept. 28 at Olivet Nazarene University for Parkhurst’s Human Trafficking Summit.
“Human trafficking is a horrible practice with millions of victims each year,” Parkhurst said in a press release. “Part of my role as a state legislator is to help raise awareness of these major yet undiscussed issues.”
Rep. Lindsay Parkhurst (R-Kankakee)
| http://www.ilga.gov/house/Rep.asp?MemberID=2494
Parkhurst said her goal in hosting the summit “is to help educate and empower residents of the 79th district to help end this horrific practice.” It will be held in Wisner Auditorium at Olivet Nazarene University from 6 to 8 p.m.
According to Parkhurst’s release, Illinois is the fifth-worst state for human trafficking, largely due to Chicago being a major convention city. The metropolis is widely recognized as a national hub for human trafficking.
An estimated 21 million people fall victim to human trafficking worldwide, 91 percent of whom are women, and one in six are runaway children, Parkhurst said in the release. It is a multibillion dollar international industry that comes in numerous forms, such as forced labor and sex work. Experts suspect that hundreds of thousands of Americans have fallen victim to human trafficking.
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