All Saints-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church will host a community forum July 19 aimed at raising awareness about the sex trafficking of minor girls and the resources available to combat the crime in Santa Barbara County.
The free public event — titled “Giving Voice to the Silenced: Shining a Light on Sex Trafficking of Minor Girls in Santa Barbara” — will begin at noon Sunday at the church at 83 Eucalyptus Lane in Montecito.
The forum is designed to educate locals about the realities of child sex trafficking, how to recognize warning signs and ways the community can help protect vulnerable youth.
Featured speaker Sally Cook, director of development and community engagement for the Olive Crest’s Hope Refuge campus in the mountains west of Goleta, will provide an overview of sex trafficking and discuss the nonprofit organization’s work supporting girls who have survived commercial sexual exploitation.
Olive Crest operates one of California’s largest residential treatment programs dedicated to the restoration and healing of minor trafficking survivors.
Tiffany Carty, supervisor of the Victim-Witness Assistance Program of the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, will discuss local efforts to investigate, prosecute and prevent human trafficking cases, as well as the county’s robust Human Trafficking Task Force.
The program will conclude with a presentation by members of Pedal the Pacific, a team of 10 college-age women cycling 1,700 miles from Seattle to San Diego to raise awareness and funding for organizations fighting sex trafficking.
Santa Barbara County is one of the group’s busiest stops along the journey, with several days of events in Lompoc and Santa Barbara.
While in Lompoc, the team will meet with the North County Rape Crisis & Child Protection Center, a previous recipient of Pedal the Pacific grants, as well as the Lompoc Rotary Club, Lompoc-Vandenberg Branch of American Association of University Women and Vandenberg Space Force Base.
In Santa Barbara, in addition to the All Saints Church forum, the team will meet with District Attorney John Savrnoch and prosecutors and staff involved with fighting the issue, learn about the Junior League of Santa Barbaras S.A.F.E. House for trafficking survivors, and visit with county First District Supervisor Roy Lee.
The riders are hosted in Santa Barbara by local families as well as the Santa Barbara Club.
Leaders of All Saints’ Outreach Committee say the event is intended to foster a better understanding of an issue that often remains hidden while encouraging greater community involvement in prevention and victim support.
Admission is free and open to the public. Organizers encourage anyone interested in learning more about child sex trafficking and local response efforts to attend.
