Over the next couple of days, a unique and interesting summit is taking place in Birmingham on a subject many people don't talk about: human trafficking.
The U.S. government estimates that approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year; about 14,500 to 17,500 of them into the United States.
One-third of those are children. Often, they are forced into prostitution, forced labor or domestic servitude.
That two-day conference going on at Samford University. About 200 people from law enforcement, attorneys, social service agencies and regular folks from all over the country are here to learn more about human trafficking and how to identify it.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, this country is a source and destination for thousands of predominantly women and children traded for sexual and labor exploitation. Women and girls are brought into the U.S. and forced into prostitution. Some men and women migrate here willingly but are then forced to work basically as slaves.
The purpose of this conference is to show people how to identify a human trafficking victim and how to deal with those victims.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Phillips said there are even utility company employees here to learn what they should look for when in customer's homes that might help them identify a victim.
The conference is going on all day today at Samford and continues Thursday.
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