Human Trafficking Speaker and Film Series

Published: 01/14/2020

Human trafficking – the use of force, coercion or fraud to obtain labor or commercial sex acts – is a global crisis. The $150 billion shadow industry targets more than 40 million victims each year.

Because knowledge is one of the strongest contenders in the fight against the problem, Gateway Human Trafficking (GHT) and St. Charles Community College (SCC) are partnering together to present the Human Trafficking Speaker and Film Series, featuring several speakers and film screenings throughout the spring 2020 season.

Each event will be held in the Donald D. Shook Social Sciences Building (SSB) auditorium.

Speaker Series Project

• 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23
  
  Topic: The rise of human trafficking in today’s civil society
  
  Speaker: Shima Rostami, executive director and interim president of Gateway Human Trafficking (GHT)
  
  Understand what human trafficking is, why it has flourished and what the popular forms of human trafficking are in the St. Louis area. We’ll discuss the consequences of human trafficking and American strategy in responding to human trafficking.
  
  
• 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3, and Thursday, Feb. 20
  
  Topic: Human trafficking and challenges facing anti-human trafficking professionals.
  
  Understand the prevalence and pervasiveness of human trafficking in the St Louis area specifically as it relates to minors. We’ll discuss vulnerabilities that traffickers exploit to recruit and traffic persons and the role technology has in this process.
  
  
• 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday, March 2, and Thursday, March 26
  
  Topic: Labor and sex trafficking – a case study
  
  Speakers: Sgt. Adam Kavanaugh, Special Investigations Unit, deputy commander of Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (Human Trafficking Task Force); and Jeffrey Othic, supervisor special agent, ICE-Homeland Security Investigations
  
  
• 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday, April 6, and Thursday, April 30
  
  Topic: Human trafficking and the Twelve Core Concepts (CC) of Childhood Trauma
  
  Speaker: Project FORECAST (Foundations for Outreach through Experiential Child Advocacy Studies Training) through the University of Missouri-St. Louis Children's Advocacy Center
  
  Understand the twelve concepts and how they relate to providers and systems working to assess, understand and support trauma-exposed children, families and communities using trauma-informed approaches. This important training will include a specific focus on the impact of human trafficking.

Film Screening Project

• 6-8 p.m. Monday, April 20
  
  Documentary: “Sold in America”
  
  Speaker: Shima Rostami, executive director and interim president of Gateway Human Trafficking (GHT)
  
  Panel guest speakers: Jeffrey Jensen, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri; Tim Lohmar, Charles County Prosecuting Attorney; Sgt. Adam Kavanaugh, Special Investigations Unit, Deputy Commander, Mo. Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Human Trafficking Task Force; Sergeant Jatonya, Clayborn Intelligence Division, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
  
  “Sold in America” will be followed by a panel discussion about human trafficking in eastern Missouri. The panel will explain how the task force works and what has been accomplished in St. Charles County and beyond.
  
  
• 6-8 p.m. Thursday, May 7
  
  Documentary: “Little Stones”
  
  “Little Stones” shows the personal narratives of four women from around the world who use art to create positive change in their communities–from a graffiti artist speaking out against domestic violence in the favelas of Brazil to a dancer rehabilitating sex-trafficking survivors in India, each of these women makes an impact on the women’s movement through their art.
  
  This documentary, directed by EMMY® Award-winning filmmaker Sophia Kruz, has been screened more than 70 times globally, including at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, and on Capitol Hill for members of Congress. It won “Best Documentary” at the Vail Film Festival, “Best Foreign Documentary” at the Female Eye Film Festival, “Best of Festival” at the Zonta Film Festival, the “Audience Award for Best Documentary” at the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival, the “Humanitarian Award” at DOCUTAH and an “Award of Excellence” from Impact Docs.

For more information, contact Robert Jones at robert_jones@stchas.edu or 636-922-8469 or Dr. Shima Rostami at srostami@gatewayhumantrafficking.org.

St. Charles Community College strives to provide reasonable accommodations to all people at any SCC-sponsored event. Please contact Disability Support Services at dss@stchas.edu or 636-922-8581 as early as possible to discuss your needs. 

St. Charles Community College is a public, comprehensive two-year community college with associate degrees and certificate programs in the arts, business, sciences and career-technical fields. SCC provides workforce training and community-based personal and professional development as well as cultural, recreational and entertainment opportunities. For more information, visit www.stchas.edu.