Walk, Exhibit to Raise Awareness about Human Trafficking

ALL>> San Bernardino County Coalition Against Sexual Exploitation will draw attention to the crime of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking one step at a time as the coalition will host its 2017 Human Trafficking Awareness Walk on Saturday, Jan. 28 in San Bernardino. Registration for the annual event, now in its seventh year, will begin at 9 a.m. at the Children's Network office at 825 E. Hospitality Lane in San Bernardino. There will be speakers at the event at 10 a.m. and those participating in the walk will leave the Children’s Network office at 11 a.m. and head east toward Tippecanoe and back around to the starting point. The walk is one of multiple events CASE will be participating in during Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month. CASE also hosted an exhibit Jan. 11 to 13, at California State University, San Bernardino in the Santos Manuel Student Union featuring original film, photography and artifacts from the stories of survivors. “Human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children are often thought of as only occurring in foreign countries, but it happens here and we’re all responsible for educating ourselves and others about the realities of trafficking in our own neighborhoods and communities,” said CASE Coordinator Anne-Michelle Ellis. “Commercial sexual exploitation affects children in all parts of our county — all children are vulnerable.” The San Bernardino County Coalition Against Sexual Exploitation formed in 2009 to address commercial sexual exploitation of children in the county and is a collaborative effort among child-serving county departments, service agencies and community members.