Human trafficking.  It’s a serious issue, but it doesn’t happen near us, right?  Think again.

According to the Medical College of Wisconsin, 340 young adults were trafficked from Jan. 1, 2013 to Dec. 31, 2016 in Milwaukee alone.

On Saturday, May 18, Homestead’s new club, Teens Against Trafficking, will be holding a human trafficking awareness seminar.  The seminar will take place at Homestead High School in I-Zone I (library) at 7 p.m. and admission is free.

The main purposes of the seminar are to generate awareness of human trafficking in the Milwaukee area and assist in fundraising for Convergence Resource Center.  Guest speakers for the event include Dr. Debbie Lassiter, founder and CEO of Convergence Resource Center, and Carolyn Bonds, human trafficking survivor.

Convergence Resource Center is a non-profit organization based in Milwaukee that aims to help men and women recover after traumatic experiences; especially in cases of human trafficking. Convergence Resource Center was founded in 2004 and has helped over 400 women rebuild their lives since.

Rohan Kaushal, junior and Teens Against Trafficking president, was inspired by his time volunteering at Convergence Resource Center to start Teens Against Trafficking.  “I started volunteering at Convergence Resource Center with my dad during my sophomore year. During the course of that time, I was exposed to a variety of shocking truths.  Milwaukee is one of the largest human trafficking corridors in the world and the average lifespan of someone who has been trafficked is seven years. This pushed me to advocate for change,” Kaushal said.  

After the seminar, there will be a bake sale.  All proceeds will go towards helping Convergence Resource Center fund their anti-human trafficking initiatives.

While the seminar is aimed toward informing teenagers, everyone is welcome to attend.  “We must all learn and act to keep one another safe,” Kaushal said.

If you plan on attending the seminar, please RSVP to [email protected].

To access Convergence Resource Center’s website, please click here.  More information about Teens Against Trafficking can be accessed by clicking here.