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DECATUR, Ill. – The  at �ǿ����޴�ý University and the Office of Student Affairs are hosting the seventh annual panel discussion for Human Trafficking Prevention Month entitled “Survivor Voices.” 

The panel will be on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Bob and Debi Johnston Banquet Rooms on the third floor of the University Commons on �ǿ����޴�ý’s campus. The panel will round out events held around the United States for Human Trafficking Prevention Month 2024. 

 

The survivor-focused panel discussion will feature survivors of sex and labor trafficking from around Central Illinois. We will discuss the challenges and opportunities of a survivor-led movement and how the anti-trafficking movement can work to include survivor voices in the future.

“We are fortunate to be able to host survivors of human trafficking from around Central Illinois for this panel discussion at �ǿ����޴�ý. In our seven years of panel discussions, this is the first time that we will be able to engage directly with survivors of this crime,” �ǿ����޴�ý Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Laura Dean said. “When we hear about crime, often we don’t get to learn about the impact of the crime from the perspective of the victim or survivor, so this is an opportunity to hear the voices of human trafficking survivors sharing their lived experiences in their own words.” 

For the safety of the survivors on this panel,  for this event. Please register here:.

This event is sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and the Political Science Department at �ǿ����޴�ý University.

For additional information, please see the Facebook event page “Survivor Voice Panel Discussion for Human Trafficking Prevention Month”  or contact Dr. Laura Dean at ldean@millikin.edu.

To arrange media coverage, contact Matt Flaten, �ǿ����޴�ý University Public Relations Coordinator, at mflaten@millikin.edu. 

�ǿ����޴�ý the Human Trafficking Research Lab (HTRL) at �ǿ����޴�ý University 

Dr. Dean leads the Human Trafficking Research Lab (HTRL) at �ǿ����޴�ý University, established in 2018. 

• •The lab transforms undergraduate performance learning projects into cutting-edge human trafficking research. 
• •The HTRL team at �ǿ����޴�ý University conducts policy-relevant research on human trafficking within the United States and internationally. 
• •The lab trains �ǿ����޴�ý students to collect, analyze, and write up data results and disseminate these findings to the academic and the local community. 
• •The lab builds on �ǿ����޴�ý’s mission to provide practical, hands-on experience with applied research for our students.
• •The lab has received a grant from the Department of Justice to conduct research for the Central Illinois Human Trafficking Task Force. 
• •Their current research project looks at how human trafficking cares are charged in Central Illinois by prosecutors and police. 
• •More information about the lab can be found at .