The St. Clair County Extension Office will host a Human Trafficking Awareness Luncheon at the Pell City Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, from 11 a.m.—1 p.m. Caroline Potter from Wellhouse, a faith-based nonprofit offering immediate shelter and transitional housing to women who have been trafficked, will be the keynote speaker.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 defines human trafficking as labor trafficking and sex trafficking. According to the Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force, “traffickers gain complete control of their victims through coercion, force, or fraud. Sex trafficking is the most prevalent form in the United States.”

The average age of entry into sex trafficking as a victim is 11-14, according to enditalabama.org, a project of the task force.

In the U.S., human trafficking is most prevalent in New York, California, Texas and Florida. However, it is not limited to larger, border or coastal states. Interstate 20, the stretch of road from Birmingham to Atlanta, has been called “The Super Highway of sex trafficking” according to the task force.

Human trafficking is a real and prevalent concern across the state of Alabama. In June 2022, Lonnie Russell, 36, of Montgomery, was convicted on several counts of trafficking, coercion and force. One count included a minor. He was sentenced to 60 years and ordered to pay $950,000 in restitution to his victims.

The luncheon is free, however, space is limited. To reserve a seat or seats, call Leigh Anne Clark, St. Clair County Extension Coordinator at 205-338-9416. The deadline for reservations is Dec. 16.

For more immediate information on human trafficking, the National Human Trafficking Hotline is 888-373-74888.