Human Trafficking in Michigan

It's hard to believe, but if there's a way to make money, some ne'r-do-well will do it.  I'm not surprised, but I used to think that only third-world counties were doing human trafficking.

A panel of experts will explore "Human Trafficking: In Our Own Backyard" during a presentation from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, on the Western Michigan University campus in Room 210 of the Bernhard Center.

The panel will include Amanda Colegrove, coalition organizer for the Coalition Against Trafficking and Exploitation, and Becky McDonald, president of Women at Risk International. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Angie Moe, WMU professor of sociology.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is being sponsored by the Global and International Studies Program as well as the Haenicke Institute for Global Education at WMU.

Human trafficking is a global human rights problem and one of the world's most shameful crimes, the event's organizers say.

"Yet due to the hidden nature of the crime, we often are not aware that it's going on in our own backyard," they contend. "Our panelists represent local and global voices to help us understand human trafficking and discuss what's being done to combat this issue."