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FBI and BCRI Partner on Human Trafficking Conference

FBI Birmingham May 14, 2010
  • Public Affairs Specialist Paul E. Daymond (205) 279-1457

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Birmingham Division, will sponsor a conference, “Human Trafficking: 21st Century Slavery in Alabama,” on Sunday and Monday, May 16-17, 2010 at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, located at 520 Sixteenth Street North in the Downtown Civil Rights District. The conference opens with a reception, tour, and program on Sunday, May 16 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. and continues on Monday, May 17 from 8:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

The goal of the conference is to engage community leaders and increase public awareness about human trafficking as a crime that impacts people in Birmingham and Alabama. Human trafficking includes sex trafficking (including domestic minors) as well as forced labor. Speakers will discuss human trafficking as a civil rights issue as well as law enforcement and community initiatives to combat it. (Efforts by area organizations resulted in recent passage of a bill by Alabama state representatives that would make human trafficking a crime under state law.) Survivors of trafficking will share their stories and participants will discuss how they can recognize and respond to human trafficking. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Birmingham Division, have joined forces since 2006 to develop training models for law enforcement officials and the community.

The resulting conferences on law enforcement and civil rights examine the history of the Civil Rights Movement and encourage law enforcement officials and the community to reflect upon their personal and professional responsibilities in our pluralistic society. The discussion is designed to build trust and open the lines of communication between law enforcement agencies, their personnel and the communities they serve.