Murfreesboro, TN - Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) is organizing a public lecture featuring author and social justice advocate Celia Williamson on March 20, coinciding with Social Work Month and National Women’s History Month.

 

Williamson’s lecture, titled “Human Trafficking: Putting a Name to My Face,” is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20. The event will be held in Room 104 of the Academic Classroom Building at 1751 MTSU Blvd.

 

The lecture is timely, given recent reports from the Global Slavery Index, which indicate that around 1.1 million individuals are trapped in various forms of modern-day slavery in the United States alone. The U.S. Department of State estimates a staggering 27.6 million victims worldwide.

 

Violet Cox-Wingo, a faculty lecturer in the MTSU Department of Social Work and the organizer of the event, emphasized the urgency of addressing human trafficking, likening it to modern-day slavery. She highlighted its alarming growth rate, ranking second only to drug trafficking. Cox-Wingo also highlighted the profitability of sex trafficking, referring to it as a billion-dollar industry.

 

In an effort to shed light on this critical global issue, the MTSU Department of Social Work has invited Williamson to speak. Williamson, who currently serves as the executive director of the Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute at the University of Toledo in Ohio, will focus her lecture on equipping professionals and community members with the necessary tools to identify victims of human trafficking and offer assistance.

 

The event aims to raise awareness about human trafficking, an issue that is increasingly prevalent in Tennessee, and to empower individuals to take action against this form of exploitation.