Lions Club and Friends of the Family presenting informational program on human trafficking

Postville High School graduate Mariana Vega, who is an anti-human trafficking specialist, is collaborating with the Postville Lions Club as she share information on this important issue in a public forum this week.

As a way to inform the public and also to educate parents and potential victims, the local Lions Club is hosting an “Anti Human Trafficking” program at 6 p.m. Thursday, August 17 at Community Presbyterian Church.

Human trafficking, Vega explained, is a huge problem in the United States and is getting more and more prevalent in Northeast Iowa. As of December 2016, 72 cases were reported in Iowa last year. She said, “It is definitely an issue that the population needs to be aware of as victims may be found in the most unlikely places in our communities.”

She added, “There are nearly 300,000 homeless youth on the streets each year and among those young people, one third are approached within 48 hours to engage in sex and illegal labor practices.”

Read the full article in the August 16 edition of the Postville Herald.