Movie helps bring awareness to human trafficking

Human trafficking is the fastest-growing and second largest – after drug dealing - criminal industry in the world, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

It involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.

Through the internet, interactive video games, blogs and chat rooms, traffickers often target children, according to John Calvert, with the Kansas State Department of Education’s Safe and Secure Schools Unit.

In 82% of online sex crimes against minors, the offender used the victim’s social networking sites to gain access, according to the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.

To help bring even more awareness to human trafficking, KSDE and CareSource HealthAlliance are partnering to bring the film “Wake Up” to Kansas. Janet Craig, director of the movie, will attend the two red carpet movie screenings for photographs before the movie and a panel discussion after. Booths with resources will be available, too.

The first showing will take place from 6-8:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14, at CAC Theater on the Wichita State University campus, 1845 Fairmount St. in Wichita.

The second showing will be from 5-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 15, at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10^th Ave. in Topeka.

Registration is needed for both events. Certificates of attendance will be issued through the Kansas Technical Assistance System Network (TASN) for professional development points.

To register for the Wichita event, click here.

To register for the Topeka event, click here.