San Rafael, CA – In 2016, the Marin County Civil Grand Jury examined human sex trafficking in Marin and concluded that it was mostly unrecognized, underreported and rarely subject to intervention. The Marin County Coalition to End Human Trafficking is trying to change that.
Learn how to recognize the signs of a victim of human trafficking.The coalition is working with the Marin County District Attorney’s Office and local libraries to present a series of free informational talks designed to educate residents about what human trafficking is and how to recognize it. The first talk starts at 6 p.m. January 19 at the San Rafael Library.
As was pointed out by the Civil Grand Jury, many believe human trafficking is the smuggling in of victims from other countries. But according to a 2012 California Attorney General's report, 72 percent of California human trafficking victims are American. Some victims encountered by the DA’s Office are runaway minors living on the streets who have been coerced into the sex industry. Sex and labor trafficking are societal problems that all Americans should be aware of so that, if recognized in the community, law enforcement can be enlisted to address it.
Some indicators of human trafficking include: persons who do not have control over their free geographic movements; persons for whom communication devices are restricted by others or whose communication is censored; and signs of trauma, fatigue, injury or poor self-care. The first step in ending human trafficking is to recognize that it can happen to anyone on any socioeconomic level and then to have people not afraid of reporting it to authorities.
Here is the schedule for the public talks:
- January 19, 6 p.m., San Rafael Library, 1100 E St.
- February 1, 6 p.m., Novato Library, 1720 Novato Blvd.
- February 13, 6 p.m., Marin City Library, 164 Donahue St.
- February 22, 6 p.m., Al Boro Community Center & Library, 50 Canal St., San Rafael (in Spanish)