Owen Marsten, Intern
thefranklinpressnews@gmail.com
Ashleigh Chapman will be the guest speaker at an event on Wednesday, Oct. 11 to raise awareness about human trafficking. Chapman has dedicated her life to fighting against human trafficking as a human rights lawyer and as founder of Altus, a group that created the human trafficking educational program Justice U, as well as a system to connect humanitarian groups called Engage Together. She was voted as one of USA Today’s women of the year in 2022.
While in Franklin, Chapman also will teach a training program to local law enforcement on how to deal with trafficking.
The event, titled “Human Trafficking is Closer than you Think, So are the Solutions,” will discuss how the average person can help in the fight against human trafficking by learning the warning signs and how to take action. The program will be held at 6 p.m. at Discover Church.
“It’s up to all of us. Everyone is uniquely positioned to make a difference,” said Steve Grissim, of Franklin and chief business development officer for Altus.
The program also will highlight the vulnerabilities within our community, which is often how victims are exploited by human traffickers. “Whenever a young girl or boy is rescued from human trafficking, they are facing compounding vulnerabilities. If you’re working with CareNet on food insecurity, you’re working on human trafficking, because you’re addressing a vulnerability,” said Grissim.
The Oct. 11 program is presented by Zonta Club of Franklin, Rotary Club of Franklin and Rotary Club of Franklin Daybreak. Discover Church is located at 47 Macon Center Dr., Franklin. For more information about Altus, visit altusnow.com.