January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month
CourageLIVES and the Penquis Sex Trafficking Action Response Team (START) will host four free and open to the public events as part of Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month in January. All events will feature a film screenin of “Gridshock,” a documentary about human trafficking, followed by a panel discussion with local experts.
The first film screening will take place from 5-7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 13 at the Bangor Public Library. The second will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday Jan. 16 at the Center Theatre in Dover-Foxcroft. On Friday, Jan. 24 the film will be shown at the University of Maine from 5-7 p.m. in the Bangor Room of the Memorial Union. The final event of the month will occur on Tuesday, Jan. 28 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the UMA-Bangor Campus in room 124 of Eastport Hall.
“People who are trafficked are people who do not have what they need, and that’s what traffickers prey on: addiction, poverty, childhood sexual abuse, and domestic violence,” said Carey Nason, director of St. Andre Home. CourageLIVES, a branch of St. Andre Home, will be scheduling screenings of “Gridshock” beyond the month of January throughout the state in order to spread awareness and education year-round.
Community providers will be present at all events with information and resources for victims and survivors of sex trafficking and commercial exploitation. Pre-registration is not required. For more event information, visit the CourageLIVES Facebook Page.
CourageLIVES (a branch of St. Andre Home) is a program for survivors of human trafficking and exploitation in Maine. The Penquis Sex Trafficking Action Response Team (START) is a multidisciplinary team committed to ending sex trafficking and commercial exploitation and serving its victims throughout the Penobscot and Piscataquis county region. Penquis START is co-chaired by advocates from Partners for Peace and Rape Response Services, the local domestic violence and sexual assault resource centers respectively.