Amanda Pevey
Elmore Autauga News
Community members, educators, law enforcement officers and child advocacy organizations came together Tuesday at the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce to learn how they can help recognize and prevent human trafficking during the Autauga County Children’s Policy Council’s Stop Human Trafficking event.
The event featured a panel of subject-matter experts representing the Alabama Anti-Human Trafficking Alliance, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, The WellHouse, the Family Support Center and STAR Youth United. The goal was to educate community partners and the public about the realities of human trafficking, warning signs to watch for and resources available to help victims.
Autauga County Juvenile Court Judge Jessica Sanders, chairperson of the Autauga County Children’s Policy Council, said the event was designed to equip the community with information that can help protect children and vulnerable individuals.
“In a world full of digital threats and lots of ways bad guys can get to our kids, this human trafficking awareness event is timely,” Sanders said. “The CPC is honored to bring in subject matter experts to help our community partners and the general public to be more equipped to screen and help combat potential threats in our community.”
Sanders said the Children’s Policy Council is made up of agencies and organizations that serve children and families throughout Autauga County. Each year, the council conducts a needs assessment to identify the county’s greatest challenges and help guide local and state priorities.
This year’s assessment identified mental health, school success and juvenile crime as the county’s top concerns.
She encouraged those attending to take what they learned back into the community.
“We all can make a difference in kids’ lives,” Sanders said. “We want the community as a whole to be engaged, to be educated on this kind of stuff. As you learn things today, share it with your churches, share it with the people that you work with, share it with everybody, because the more that we bring awareness about this, the bigger impact we will be making.”
Beth Tidwell, family programs director for the Family Support Center, helped organize the event through the organization’s partnership with Renew Hope 65, an initiative dedicated to increasing awareness about human trafficking across Alabama.
Tidwell said the Family Support Center works to improve the lives of families and children through education, advocacy and support. Along with parenting and family services, the nonprofit provides adult education, workforce development programs and educational services in every public school in Autauga County.
“This topic is very near and dear to my heart,” Tidwell said.
A highlight of the event was hearing from Shae Dunn, a survivor of human trafficking who shared her story of recovery and the hope she found through The WellHouse, a nonprofit that provides long-term care and support for survivors.
Raised in Prattville, Dunn told attendees that while her experience is deeply personal, her purpose in sharing it was to help others understand that human trafficking is not a problem that exists only in distant places.
“That was just a little of my story,” Dunn said. “What I really want everyone to get out of that is, this is happening not only across the whole United States, but right here in Prattville, and also across the state of Alabama.”
Dunn said technology has become one of the ways traffickers reach potential victims but warned that exploitation is not limited to the internet.
“The internet plays a huge role in being trafficked, but it doesn’t stop there,” she said. “It’s happening here in your hotels and even as close as your next-door neighbor’s home. I hope by sharing this knowledge today, it has given you the awareness you need to see that sexual exploitation is real and is happening every day.”
She also spoke about the role The WellHouse has played in rebuilding her life.
“I was given an amazing therapist who sat with me in my pain and trauma and has also guided and taught me how to properly process it, how to turn my pain into power and purpose,” Dunn said.
Since entering the program, Dunn has earned her high school diploma, completed trade school, begun a career through ShopWell and is working toward becoming a certified peer support specialist so she can help others who have experienced trafficking.
Throughout the event, panelists emphasized that preventing human trafficking requires collaboration among law enforcement, schools, nonprofits, churches and community members. They encouraged attendees to learn the warning signs, have conversations with young people about online safety and report suspicious activities when something does not seem right.
As the program concluded, organizers reminded those in attendance that awareness is one of the most effective tools in preventing human trafficking. By bringing together subject-matter experts, local organizations and a survivor willing to share her experience, the Autauga County Children’s Policy Council hopes the information shared will continue to strengthen community awareness and help protect children and vulnerable individuals throughout Autauga County.
