Join us for a free and public conversation about human trafficking during the next Carolina Public Press Newsmakers forum, which will be held on Friday, Aug. 12, from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Center for Graduate Studies of Asheville.

This will be your chance to hear and to discuss the issues surrounding human trafficking in North Carolina, with specific emphasis on sex and labor trafficking. In 2015, a national hotline widely publicized in North Carolina to report suspected human trafficking identified 110 human trafficking cases involving 925 potential victims. At the same time, few arrests were made and few criminal cases prosecuted. Read a Carolina Public Press in-depth report on human trafficking here.

Panelists include Karen Arias, bilingual victim advocate and bilingual child forensic interviewer with the 30th Judicial District Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Alliance, Inc. and Angelica Wind, executive director of Our Voice, a nonprofit which serves survivors of sexual violence in Buncombe County. Other panelists from regional and federal agencies and law enforcement are being confirmed. Please check back for further information. The event, which is sponsored by Lenoir-Rhyne University, will be moderated by journalists with Carolina Public Press.

A light breakfast is included at the event, and RSVPs are required (tickets available below). Carolina Public Press will live stream the forum for those who are unable to attend in person, so RSVP for details on how to connect remotely.

For more information, please call Carolina Public Press at 828-774-5290 or email us at tgeorge@carolinapublicpress.org.

Event sponsors:

What are Newsmakers?

The Newsmakers series from Carolina Public Press seeks to go beyond headlines and soundbites to provide in-depth conversations about top public policy issues facing Western North Carolina with business leaders, lawmakers, agency administrators and public policy influencers. Moderated by the expert journalists and contributors with Carolina Public Press, the series includes a light breakfast and question-and-answer time. For those unable to attend in person, we are now working to live stream each event. These sessions, as well as all programs and journalism done by Carolina Public Press, are supported through the generous contributions of foundations and readers like you.