Laguna Niguel To Host Human Trafficking Town Hall Thursday

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA — In Orange County, members of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force assisted 357 victims of sex and labor trafficking from 2020 through 2021. According to the 2021 Human Trafficking Victim Report, Orange County is a destination location for human trafficking victims, and about 80 percent of human trafficking victims found in Orange County are not from the county. Despite these reports, human trafficking is still an invisible crime prevalent worldwide.

The City of Laguna Niguel wants to sweep human trafficking out from under the rug. On Sept. 30, the city is hosting a town hall designed to empower residents who want to learn more about human trafficking in order to keep their families and communities safe. There will be several guest speakers who work closely with cases of human trafficking in Orange County, such as officials from the OC Human Trafficking Task Force and representatives from the OC District Attorney's Office, among others.

At this town hall, residents will learn what human trafficking looks like in Orange County, who the victims are, and how the county and the city work to prevent these crimes from taking place. There will also be a number of resource booths informing attendees about the various aspects of human trafficking present at the town hall.

The town hall takes place at the Crown Valley Community Center, 29751 Crown Valley Pwky. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the program begins at 7 p.m., and all attendees are encouraged to bring a pen and notebook. Due to the nature of the discussion, the city is asking all attendees to be at least 16 years of age.