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Making an appearance at Saturday, Jan. 12’s human trafficking awareness event, Breaking the Chains, at Assisi Heights, City of Rochester Mayor Ardell F. Brede officially proclaimed January as “Human Trafficking Awareness Month.”

During the week of January 7, Sisters of Saint Francis sponsored and facilitated human trafficking awareness events throughout Rochester. The message was simple but difficult to hear: children and young adults are being bought and sold.

At every Rochester panel, video or presentation, one question was commonly asked: “But this doesn’t happen here, right?”

Wrong. Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem explained, “It does happen in Rochester and Olmsted County.” A Rochester police officer, who will remain nameless, added that victims of Human Trafficking told him, “Business is good in Rochester.” He also said it’s not the visitors to Rochester committing these crimes, but the long-term residents.

Stacy Jewell Lewis, survivor of human trafficking, performed two acts demonstrating her terrible story. Sitting alone on the stage, Stacy acted out her life after being forced at gunpoint into prostitution.

Stacy acknowledged the horror of her situation. She said there were “girls much, much younger than me. They weren’t old enough to understand hope.” Stacy was 19 years old.

Panelists remained positive at awareness events. They were hopeful.

Stephanie Holt, executive director of anti-trafficking provider Mission 21, said a victim came to her for help only after attending an awareness event Jan. 10 at the Rochester Public Library.

“Thanks to the Sisters of Saint Francis,” Stephanie said.

But there is more that could be done. Noelle Volin of Breaking Free, an organization built to help women find social justice, said, “The issue is so big, broad and complex, we need to bring all parties together. We need to overcome misconceptions … we need to be partnering with the community.” She, along with the other event speakers, offered a few ways people could help.

1) Tell others about it and acknowledge the issue. Another police officer from the event said one of the biggest challenges is awareness. “It’s not just in Rochester,” she said, “it’s in the smaller towns surrounding Rochester.”

2) Look for unusual patterns in our communities. Ask questions. Stephanie Holt noticed a local massage parlor open until 12:00 am. By reporting what she discovered to the police, human trafficking victims had a chance at freedom.

3) We need to think differently about the issue. Noelle Volin said, “We need a paradigm shift. This is not okay.” She explained that part of the problem is a relaxed system about sex issues. “That’s okay – boys will be boys,” she said, imitating a flawed system. “We need to be sending a consistent message to counteract this.”

4) We can also support programs like Breaking Free and Mission 21, which battle human trafficking and assist victims.

Find more information or to get a speaker to come present for your organization by visiting www.mission21mn.org, www.rochesterfranciscan.org, or www.breakingfree.net.