The Central Coast Branches of the American Association of University Women and the Santa Barbara County Commission for Women will play host to a program on human trafficking on Nov. 20.
The free event will feature Opal Singleton, president and CEO of Million Kids and director of development for Rapha House International, and Megan Rheinschild, victim-witness assistance program director for the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.
According to a press release from the American Association of University Women, human trafficking is identified as the fastest growing crime in the nation and the second largest criminal enterprise in the world—after drug smuggling and arms dealing. In 2013, 72 percent of the victims of human trafficking in California were U.S. citizens, the release said.
The two speakers at the Nov. 20 program will be discussing human trafficking at the local, national, and international levels, followed by a question-and-answer period. The presentation is open to the public and will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Forum (building C, room 40) on Allan Hancock College’s Santa Maria campus. The college will have free parking for event attendees in the white stalls of Lots 1 and 2.
This article appears in Nov 13-20, 2014.