[368] MTSU hosts sex trafficking panel discussion with law enforcement, activists

MURFREESBORO — Preying on vulnerable people for profit or sexual gratification happens in Tennessee, but activists and law enforcement agencies are trying to stop it.

“You Have the Power” will host a free presentation and panel discussion on the issue of sex trafficking from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 4, in the Parliamentary Room of the Student Union. The Nashville-based nonprofit organization is dedicated to empowering “those victimized by crime through education, advocacy and understanding,” according to www.yhtp.org.

Scheduled panelists include Sgt. James Baskette and Detectives Jonathan Brown and Sam Day, all of the Murfreesboro Police Department’s Vice Unit; Special Agent Jason Wilkerson of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Criminal Intelligence Unit; and Candy Carter, a local subject area expert.

According to a 2011 TBI study of the 21 Tennessee counties with the highest rates of sex trafficking, 17 were rural counties. Law enforcement personnel responding to the study saw immigrants, both minors and adults, as most likely to be exploited through sex trafficking.

On a national level, the TBI states, a child is bought or sold for sex, on average, every two minutes. The average age of a child sold for sex is 13. Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the country, slightly behind drug trafficking.

A printable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.

Off-campus visitors should obtain a special one-day permit from MTSU’s Office of Parking and Transportation at http://www.mtsu.edu/parking/visit.php.

For more information, contact the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students at 615-898-5812 or jacwns@mtsu.edu.

NOTE TO MEDIA:TBI Special Agent Jason Wilkerson requests that reporters and others in attendance not take photos of the panelists due to the nature of their jobs.