{"id":11879,"date":"2023-04-13T22:59:48","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T22:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/jsuflash\/?p=11879"},"modified":"2023-04-13T22:59:48","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T22:59:48","slug":"mbat-summit-delves-into-human-trafficking-prevention-and-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.jsums.edu\/theflash\/index.php\/2023\/04\/13\/mbat-summit-delves-into-human-trafficking-prevention-and-awareness\/","title":{"rendered":"MBAT Summit delves into human trafficking prevention and awareness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michael Watson, Mississippi Secretary of State during the MBAT Summit<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Shakell James
\n<\/span>Staff Writer<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>he Mississippi Businesses Against Trafficking (MBAT) Summit was held on April 4, 2023 in the Student Center Auditorium. Secretary of State Michael Watson sponsored the event in collaboration with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI), the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), and the Jackson State University (JSU) Public Safety Department led by Chief Herman Horton.<\/span><\/p>\n

“I wanted\u00a0Jackson State University\u00a0to be the first HBCU to host this important summit on human\u00a0trafficking. It is my hope that other HBCUs follow suit and host this summit on their campus also,\u201d said Horton. \u201cAs Chief of Police for the Jackson State University Department of Public Safety, I’m compelled to be a driving\u00a0force behind spreading the word about\u00a0the\u00a0ever-increasing issue: human trafficking.”<\/span><\/p>\n

MBAT<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is a statewide initiative to raise awareness and empower Mississippi businesses to combat human trafficking. It is open to any business, nonprofit organization, or association in the State of Mississippi that is interested in promoting human trafficking awareness both internally and externally.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the welcome by JSU Acting President Elayne H. Anthony, she stated, \u201cWe\u2019re very pleased to be a part of this because we see it is very important for our community. We want our community to remain safe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Secretary of State Watson gave opening remarks and an introduction of the keynote speaker, Brian Montgomery.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I learned about the stories they were talking about, one was out of Lincoln County and it was about a grandfather who was trafficking his granddaughter for drug money and it stuck with me and it hurt because I\u2019m a father of three little girls. So when I think about something happening to small little girl and little boys\u2026it really hurts my heart. I couldn\u2019t help but to get involved with this topic,\u201d explained Watson.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He added, \u201cWe worked a great deal with Speaker (Philip) Gunn and several other legislators to get a lot of legislation passed in the state senate and the state house and on to be signed by the Governor. But more importantly than just the legislative piece, but the knowledge that evolved to all of us in the legislature and the idea that we need to spread this and make sure people are aware of what\u2019s going on.\u00a0 And it really just kind of grew out of that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Watson explained that MBAT programs not only offer training to employees at the over 100 businesses who are members, but the summits allow the organization to be active within the communities and spread the word about the seriousness of human trafficking even farther.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to be looking for trafficking everywhere, not just your convenience store or truck stops. It\u2019s everywhere you\u2019re going to be,\u201d said Watson<\/span><\/p>\n

An overview of human trafficking was presented by JSU Professor and Hinds County Sheriff\u2019s Department Lieutenant Kevin Lavine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lavine began the overview with a definition of human trafficking, which is a serious crime and violation of human rights involving force, coercion, or fraud to exploit a person into slave or sexual exploitation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lavine, who stated that human trafficking is multi-billion-dollar industry, reported that most people think that trafficking comes with certain criteria and always involves sexual exploitation, but labor trafficking is also a serious human trafficking issue.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBelieve it or not, it doesn\u2019t matter about your age, race, physical appearance and make up, we are all vulnerable,\u201d said Lavine. \u201cYou are more vulnerable when you are apathetic.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Lavine, women are often used for sexual exploitation and men are typically used for forced labor. Although this is the case in most instances, this is not for every situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lavine stressed that police, businesses and the community must work hand in hand to combat human trafficking.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot just police our way out of this, we have to have our community stakeholders and forums like this help us to bring factual information that we can all take back and share with our employees and our community,\u201d said Lavine.<\/span><\/p>\n

The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime has listed a series of indications that help people identify victims of human trafficking. These indicators include:<\/span><\/p>\n