The goal is to educate and raise awareness, so people know how to recognize and ideally prevent trafficking altogether.<\/p>\n
They\u2019d also like to create some kind of task force to continue anti-trafficking work in this area, as there\u2019s no such group here.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany people have seen Taken or The Sound of Freedom, and listen, I work internationally. That\u2019s exactly what it looks like in some of these other places we work in. But that\u2019s not what it looks like in America,\u201d said Andrade-Rocha.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat it looks like is children on their phone being coerced and groomed and falling prey to being trafficked.\u201d<\/p>\n The average entry age for a human trafficking survivor is 11 to 13 years of age.<\/p>\n Parents need to monitor what their kids do online, because it can start on any app: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Omega. The list goes on, Andrade-Rocha said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s more about having eyes on your children,\u201d Andrade-Rocha said.<\/p>\n Something simple parents can do is have the same phone as their child, so they know how to easily operate it and find things. An app called bark is also great for monitoring, Andrade-Rocha said.<\/p>\n Four anti-human trafficking experts will speak on Saturday, including Andrade-Rocha, to bolster education and give parents tools they need to keep their kids safe in a digital age.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s bringing in several groups to connect with the local law enforcement, local parents, local schools to try and get us all on the same page,\u201d said Candy Claunch, the event coordinator at Circle K Ranch<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s all to help keep our kids safe.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a free event for anyone in the community to attend. Though it\u2019s centered on kids, it\u2019s not just kids impacted by trafficking.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeing a lot of this with, say, singles that are looking to date online, things like that,\u201d Claunch said.<\/p>\n Andrade-Rocha said when you have an area that\u2019s high for tourism, it\u2019s high for trafficking, too. She highlighted Durango as one of those places. But as tourism in Cortez and the area in general grows, it\u2019s something to be aware of.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are looking for the white van that\u2019s going to steal your child. And listen, that does happen, but it\u2019s very rare,\u201d said Andrade-Rocha.<\/p>\n In America, trafficking typically starts online, and familial trafficking \u2013 exploiting a child within one\u2019s own family \u2013 is most common.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really need people to show up and just get involved. We\u2019re hoping to get a local group together of anyone who feels drawn to this cause to be the backbone \u2026 and help keep the communication open between Beyond Trafficking and local law enforcement and schools,\u201d said Claunch.<\/p>\n \u201cIf anyone feels drawn to be on the committee, we\u2019d love to speak with them.\u201d<\/p>\n On Saturday, there will also be a live painter, Vanessa Horabuena, who will paint and auction off her painting to support the cause.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019ve never seen her, that alone is worth coming to the event. She\u2019s absolutely breathtaking to watch, it\u2019s just amazing,\u201d Claunch said.<\/p>\n The event this weekend, again, is free and includes a lunch. For head count purposes, email events@ckranch.com<\/a> to let them know if you\u2019re coming.<\/p>\n