Marin County Tackles Human Trafficking With Public Talks

MARIN COUNTY, CA – The Marin County Coalition to End Human Trafficking, along with the Marin County District Attorney’s Office and local libraries are presenting a series of free informational talks designed to educate residents about what human trafficking is and how to recognize human trafficking.

"In 2016, the Marin County Civil Grand Jury examined human sex trafficking in Marin and concluded that it was mostly unrecognized, underreported and rarely subject to intervention," Marin County District Attorney Ed Berberian said in a statement. "The Marin County Coalition to End Human Trafficking is trying to change that."

As was pointed out in a recent grand jury report, many people believe human trafficking is the smuggling in of victim’s from other countries. According to the 2012 California Attorney General’s report, however, 72 percent of California human trafficking victims are American.

In a press release, Berberian explained that some victims encountered by the District Attorney's Office are runaway minors living on the streets who have been coerced into the sex industry.

"Sex and labor trafficking are societal problems that all Americans should be aware of so that, if recognized in the community, law enforcement can be enlisted to address it," he said.

The public talks kick off at 6 p.m. Jan. 19 at San Rafael Library, located at 1100 E St. in San Rafael.

Here is the schedule for the remaining talks:

• Feb. 1, 6 p.m., Novato Library, 1720 Novato Blvd.
• Feb. 13, 6 p.m., Marin City Library, 164 Donahue St.
• Feb. 22, 6 p.m., Al Boro Community Center & Library, 50 Canal St., San Rafael (in Spanish)

Image courtesy of Marin County