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Forest Lake Event Discusses Human Trafficking, Exploitation

Created: 08/16/2012 11:04 AM KSTP.com
By: Jennie Olson
http://kstp.com/article/stories/s2730630.shtml

"The Forest Lake Human Rights Commission is talking openly about the issue of human trafficking at an upcoming community night.

Breaking Free’s Women’s Program Manager Joy Friedman will be giving training and information about prostitution and sex trafficking against women and girls. Breaking Free is a St. Paul-based organization that provides services to female victims of abuse and sexual exploitation.

The event takes place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18, at Forest Lake City Hall. It’s free and open to the public."
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Minneapolis City Council, local organizers: Stop selling girls on Backpage

BY KATIE LENTSCH, TC DAILY PLANET
August 19, 2012
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2012/08/19/minneapolis-city-council-local-organizers-stop-selling-girls-backpage


"Minnesota’s Safe Harbor law, passed in 2011, provides that adults who engage in sexual conduct for hire commit a criminal offense, but youth under 16 engaging in this conduct are considered victims rather than youth offenders. WFM and PRIDE want to redefine that age to be 18.

According to Reinhardt, prostitution rarely takes place on the street. Trafficking is also hidden online, where girls are advertised on websites such as Backpage.com as “escorts,” even outside the Twin Cities for locations such as Duluth, Walker, Albert Lea, Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park, and Eagan.

“You’ll see hundreds of [online] ads of young girls who claim to be 19 to 23 years old and many, many of those are underage,” said Reinhardt. “Our goal is to develop our skills and to learn how to do our job better to divert these victims, these young girls, into a different lifestyle and different choices.”


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