TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)– January marks National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and two Indiana State professors wanted to help raise awareness on the issue around Terre Haute on Saturday with a panel of experts from around the state of Indiana.
ISU Professors Hailee Lauritzen and Julie Campbell-Miller, who both work in the social work department, said the event was a part of the curriculum for a class on trafficking they just started offering this year. Lauritzen said she wanted students– and community members– to gain a better understanding on the topic.
“I want them to be aware of the different types of human trafficking but I also want them to understand this a problem happening right here in Vigo County, this is not something that’s happening to other people,” she said. “This is happening in our community.”
The panel included six members across different disciplines, including social work and law enforcement. Campbell-Miller said she wanted students to see the different professions that deal with human trafficking survivors.
“We really wanted to be able to show our students this was an interdisciplinary work, and it takes more than just social workers, you’re going to have to work with people from other professions,” she said.
One of the panel members was Anna Cope, the direct service program manager at Susie’s Place, a child advocacy organization. She said she wanted to help correct common misconceptions on human trafficking.
“There are several misconceptions, and one of those being it doesn’t happen here, especially here in Indiana,” she said. “It can also happen within families and oftentimes what I see in my field and in my career with children is it’s happening within their families as well.”
In 2021, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received over 400 signals across Indiana. Lauritzen and Campbell-Miller said they plan to offer similar events in the future, and hope to expand the class going forward.
