Pineland Community Collaborative discusses Child Trafficking

Pineland's quarterly Community Collaborative meeting took place on Friday, July 28th. The meeting featured guest speaker Dr. Kate Perry, who presented on child trafficking. Community Collaborative quarterly meetings give Pineland's participating partners the opportunity to network together to make the community a better place to live.

Dr. Kate Perry (left) with Executive Director at Pineland BHDD June DiPolito (right).

On Friday July 28th, the Pineland Community Collaborative was held from 10am-12pm at the Pineland Training Facility. The facility is located at 609 East Grady Street in Statesboro.

The program included a presentation on “Child Trafficking: What it is and what we can do about it” from Dr. Kate Perry. Dr. Perry is an associate professor in the Georgia Southern University Department of Political Science & International Studies.

pineland-2 — Dr. Kate Perry gives a presentation on “Child Trafficking - What it is and What we can do about it” at Pineland's Community Collaborative quarterly meeting.

Key information shared at the meeting on Child Trafficking Included:

Most trafficked children KNOW their trafficker; kidnapping is very rare.
Traffickers use TRUST to trap victims (trauma bonding).
Teenagers are still children and cannot consent to sexual exploitation.
VULNERABILITY matters in the likelihood of being trafficked.
Strong communities and strong families can make a difference.

Regarding what the public should remain aware of concerning Child Trafficking, Dr. Perry said, "Child Trafficking is happening in Georgia and can happen to anyone from any walk of life. A big issue to be mindful of is your child's internet usage. In terms of prevention, the best prevention for parents to undertake is having conversations with their children about their bodies and making sure children know which touches are and are not allowed. Continue to have conversations with your children so that they know they can come to you regarding these issues no matter what. If you would like to know more about child trafficking and prevention, please visit polarisproject.org, or call the National Human Trafficking Hotline Number at 1-888-373-7888."

The Community Collaborative is a quarterly event which takes place on the last Friday of the first month of each quarter.

The Community Collaborative meetings are planned with a featured guest presentation taking place at each meeting. Attending individuals also get the chance to share information from the agency/organization they are attending on behalf of. The meeting is open to Pineland community partners and organizations who may be interested in its Community Collaborative meetings.

"Community Collaborative has been going on for quite a few years now and we meet on a quarterly basis," said Executive Director at Pineland BHDD June DiPolito. "We have several human services agencies coming together, sharing resources, and networking to make our community a better place to live."

PIneland BHDD CSB is located at 5 West Altman Street in Statesboro. For more information on the quarterly Community Collaborative meetings, email June DiPolito at [email protected].