Sulphur Springs hosts Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking

A Washington County school will host a community resource night aimed at raising awareness about human trafficking happening closer to home than many realize. The Washington County Community Resource Night will be held Wednesday, Feb. 11, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Sulphur Springs Elementary School, located at 1518 Gray Station Sulphur Springs Road in Jonesborough, according to a press release from the Washington County Department of Education. The event is open to all Washington County community members and is being hosted jointly by the Washington County Department of Education and the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking, according to the release. Organizers say the event is designed to educate residents about the realities of human trafficking and connect families and individuals with local and regional resources. According to information published on the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking website, human trafficking is often misunderstood as a crime that occurs primarily overseas, when in reality it happens in neighborhoods and communities across the United States, including East Tennessee. Human trafficking occurs when someone is forced, coerced or fraudulently convinced to work or engage in sexual acts for the benefit of another person, according to the organization. The crime does not discriminate based on age, gender, socioeconomic status, race or neighborhood. The coalition serves as the regional point of contact for the Tennessee Counter-Trafficking Alliance in East Tennessee. The alliance is a strategic partnership among three nonprofit organizations that provide regional hubs for victim response and survivor service coordination in East Tennessee. That regional structure was established in 2016 under former Gov. Bill Haslam. Since then, the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking has served as the designated point of contact for 33 counties in East Tennessee. The Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking works to unite and equip communities to end human trafficking through awareness, training, education and collaborative efforts, according to the release. Its work includes providing a specialized continuum of care that ranges from prevention to restoration through its Grow Free Tennessee program. Grow Free Tennessee focuses on survivor-centered care and includes a youth services team that provides individualized support to children and young people of all ages, the organization said. Services range from early intervention for youth at risk of exploitation to specialized, trauma-responsive therapy for youth survivors of trafficking. As part of that role, the coalition brings together service providers and community agencies to collaborate on active trafficking cases, share intelligence and resources and ensure victims are connected with necessary services. The organization also provides free specialized training to professionals and community members. Training topics offered by the coalition include introductory and advanced courses on recognizing and responding to human trafficking, as well as consultation on response protocols for professionals and service providers. The organization's youth services team can be reached through its referral hotline at (865) 292-0285.