South Carolina Human Trafficking Youth Advocacy Summit Aims to Educate High School Students from throughout the State

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – June 27, 2018 - The South Carolina Office of the Attorney General, Children’s Trust of SC, and the SC Commission for Minority Affairs today hosted the first ever Human Trafficking Youth Advocacy Summit to educate high school students. It was held at the Richland 2 Innovation Center (R2i2) in the Village at Sandhill in Columbia. The daylong, free event was open to all high school students and included lunch as well as door prizes and anti-human trafficking resources. There were also non-profit and state agency groups distributing materials to the youth.

“This was a great opportunity for young people from throughout South Carolina to gain knowledge about a critical issue impacting communities across the state,” said Kathryn Moorehead, Director of Violence Against Women and Human Trafficking Programs at the Attorney General’s Office. “Our goal is for high school students to better understand human trafficking in an effort to prevent them from becoming victims and position them to educate their peers when they return home.”

“I’ve traveled the state to talk about human trafficking, including talking to a lot of students, and they’re always surprised about how widespread it is and how much of a threat it is to them,” Attorney General Alan Wilson said. “This Youth Advocacy Summit has the potential to save lives.”

Included in the day’s event was a Human Trafficking 101 presentation by the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force Youth Advocacy subcommittee, a law enforcement and judiciary panel exploring what happens after a victim is rescued, a presentation by the South Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and presentations from Do Good Artist, a North Carolina organization exploring social advocacy through the arts. Do Good Artist covered the use of virtual reality and gaming as well as music and there was a presentation about the use of visual arts in advocating for a cause.

Additionally, the young people were challenged with a poster contest that focuses on educating other students in South Carolina about the crime of human trafficking. The winning poster will be revealed at the September meeting of the State Task Force, be printed with the student’s name and school, and distributed by the Attorney General’s Office statewide to youth-serving organizations.

More information can be found at humantrafficking.scag.gov

Video and soundbites are available for download on our YouTube channel.

Youth Advocacy Summit VO: https://youtu.be/wEdL64zaiHw

Youth Advocacy Summit Attorney General Alan Wilson SOT: https://youtu.be/GFlqYJYKTSI

Samantha Gaton, Outgoing Chair, Youth Advocacy Subcommittee SOT: https://youtu.be/Q6TzOdtQk9E

Reilly Arford, Incoming Chair, Youth Advocacy Subcommittee  SOT: https://youtu.be/W78eAA7Jo4c