Human trafficking event open to teens, parents

Birmingham Public Schools is encouraging teens and parents to attend Traffick Stop on Monday, February 25, at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, an educational anti-human trafficking awareness training and discussion, that will feature former Groves High School student Theresa Flores, a human trafficking survivor.

The event, geared for teens aged 12 and up and their parents, is designed to help identify the signs of human trafficking, and who is at risk. They will also discuss how to avoid becoming a victim, and what resources are available if you suspect someone you know is being trafficked.

According to Kari Provizer, director of the Robert Sosnick Family Life Center at Temple Israel, “With our large congregation and strong ties to the greater community, Temple Israel is in a unique position to host a human trafficking awareness and training program for both parents and children. With the help of the Detroit Crime Commission, we found a great speaker who went to Groves High School and is herself a survivor, to help us understand how to combat this very frightening and growing threat.”

The scheduled guest speaker is ​Theresa Flores​, a survivor of child sex trafficking in the city of Birmingham after she was sold in an underground crime ring, from the time she was 15 until she was 17 years old. Flores has since founded S.O.A.P. (Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution) and travels the U.S. to educate communities about the threat.

The human trafficking event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Temple Israel, 5725 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield, 48323. It is free of charge and open to the community. To register, visit​ temple-israel.org/traffickstop​ or call Temple Israel at 248-661-5700. Reservations are requested by Friday, February 22.