COLUMBIA, MD — The second annual human trafficking conference led by the Howard County Office of Human Trafficking will be held Friday, Nov. 8, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The conference is open to anyone from the community along with state and local law enforcement, non-profit partners and victim advocate groups, survivors and residents.

"Taking the Next Steps" will be held at Howard Community College (HCC), 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia. The 2019 keynote address will be presented by Rachel Lloyd, founder of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services and the author of "Girls Like Us: Fighting for a World Where Girls Are Not for Sale."

The conference will also offer four different breakout session tracks, focusing on awareness, life after trafficking, labor trafficking and prevention, and law enforcement. Attendees can choose sessions in any track (except for law enforcement, which is reserved for sworn officers only.)