January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
To educate local residents about this important issue, the
Library will host, “Sex Trafficking in Iowa.” Children and young women
are those usually trafficked for sex and frequently for labor. Human
trafficking is a crime found not only in “red-light” districts of cities; it
often occurs in small towns—and in plain sight. This 90-minute program will
include discussions on both sex trafficking and labor trafficking, efforts by
law enforcement to bring justice to those involved, and the process of aiding
victims in their recovery to a healthy, safe lifestyle. This
program is for adults 18+.
About our speakers
Mike Ferjak is a retired law enforcement professional
with 20 years of investigative experience and extensive training in working
child sexual exploitation and human trafficking cases. Mike has an MA in
criminal justice from Simpson College.
Kellie Markey is the founder of Dorothy’s House in Des
Moines, a healing environment in which teenage girls rescued from sex trafficking
and sexploitation can begin to heal. Kellie has a BA in communications from
Central College.