ABOUT THE COMMISSION
The Commission for Women is a volunteer advisory board to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners dedicated to assessment, advocacy and research toward the end of improving the quality of life for women in Orange County. The mission of the Orange County Commission for Women is to empower women and girls, and promote their equality in all spheres of life through advocacy, education, and outreach activities. One way the commission carries out that mission is by building coalitions with, and acting as allies for, disadvantaged groups.
From staff reports
CHAPEL HILL -- Every year, law enforcement agencies in North Carolina arrest and charge individuals and rings of criminals involved in human trafficking.
Local experts who track the illegal practice will host a program later this month to highlight the dangerous and degrading exploitation as part of the March observance of National Women's History Month.
The Orange County Commission for Women will convene on March 27 in the theater at the Seymour Senior Center, 2551 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill from 10 a.m. to noon.
The commission will focus the county's attention on the issue of human trafficking with "The Community's Role in Recognizing and Preventing Human and Sex Trafficking."
The short film "Dreams Die Hard" will be viewed. It features four survivors of human trafficking in the United States telling their stories. The film will be followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Donna Bickford, director of the Carolina Women's Center at UNC. The panelists will engage the audience in conversation about the issue.
Bickford, who holds adjunct appointments in the departments of English and Comparative Literature and Women's Studies, is a core member of RIPPLE (Recognition - Identification - Protection - Prosecution - Liberation - Empowerment), The N.C. Human Trafficking Task Force. RIPPLE is a statewide interdisciplinary group of professionals with expertise in fields pertaining to human trafficking.
"Human trafficking is a $32 billion-a-year global criminal enterprise as well as a violation of someone's civil and human rights," Bickford said in a prepared release. "We all need to be aware that human trafficking impacts our communities; this event will help educate our residents about the topic."
A light breakfast will be available at 9:30 a.m. and the program will begin at 10. This event is free and open to the public. For additional information or questions call 245-2302.
