WHAT: Human trafficking awareness event
WHEN: Monday, Jan. 11, 2010
TIME: 5 a.m. to 8 a.m.
LOCATION: parking lot outside La Fiesta #3 market, 106 S. 3rd St., Immokalee
SUMMARY: Deputies will hand out fliers and have coffee with community members to raise awareness about human trafficking.
The event will focus on migrant and seasonal farm workers, groups that are particularly vulnerable to the specific exploitation of trafficking. It coincides with National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The annual observance is intended to raise public awareness about human trafficking, a form of modern-day slavery.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office recently distributed posters around Immokalee as part of a new initiative aimed at reaching potential trafficking victims. The posters, which are in Spanish, outline actual situations a person may be experiencing, such as forced labor to pay off a trafficking debt. The posters advise victims to not be scared, to know that they have legal rights and to contact CCSO.
Deputies will hand out fliers with this message at Monday’s event. Brochures and other information on human trafficking will be available at the CCSO Crime Prevention Section trailer, which will be at the event.
Deputies also will hand out free coffee and be available to talk to community members one on one. Deputies in Immokalee host similar coffee get-togethers at migrant labor camps throughout the year.
