By Shavonne Walker
shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — The Salisbury Police Department has joined forces with local organizations to provide an educational seminar on human trafficking later this month.

The seminar will be free and open to the public.

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. And the police department will conduct the seminar to teach others how to spot, stop and save a victim who has been abducted against their will, said Salisbury Police Victim/Witness advocate Alberta McLaughlin.

The session will take place from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 632 Park Ave. Sessions are recommended for those ages 16 and older. The sessions will be two hours and include speakers from Lily Pad Haven Inc., Gaston County and Salisbury police departments.

An estimated 50,000 people are trafficked into the United States each year, most often from Mexico and the Philippines.

McLaughlin said Charlotte is a hub for human trafficking and ranks among the top cities in the country for human trafficking arrests.

Trafficking involves transporting someone into a situation of exploitation. This can include forced labor, marriage, prostitution and organ removal. According to the U.S. Department of State, this kind of exploitation is known by a few different names — the accepted ones include human trafficking, trafficking of persons and modern slavery.

The Salisbury Police Department is presenting the event along with the Salisbury-Rowan NAACP, Salisbury Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and Tau Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

For more information, contact McLaughlin via the Salisbury Police at 704-638-5337. To ask questions, report an incident or find help for potential victims, contact the Human Trafficking Hotline, call 1-888-373-7888.