2024 Kane County Human Trafficking Summit

On May 11th, the non-profit One Collective Elgin co-hosted the 2024 Kane County Human Trafficking Summit at Christ Community Church in South Elgin, Illinois. The purpose of the summit was to inform the community on what human trafficking looks like, what to do if someone suspects it, how people can get involved, as well as to create a coalition to take action in the local community. Summit panelists included representatives from Naomi’s House, Out of Darkness, St. Charles and Elgin Police Departments, the Kane County District Attorney, and myself.

A representative from Naomi’s House, an organization based in DuPage, Illinois, focused on providing residential care and drop-in services for trafficked women, started the presentations with a Human Trafficking 101: informing the audience on the definition of Human Trafficking in the United States, as defined by the Department of Justice; the different methods of trafficking; the various signs of trafficking; and the strengths/weaknesses of Illinois’ efforts to fight trafficking, as reported by the Polaris Project’s Human Trafficking Report Card for Illinois.

Following Naomi’s House, the Kane County District Attorney presented on a large trafficking raid that occurred in St. Charles, Illinois, in summer of 2023, just a few minutes from the venue of the summit. She was followed by an investigator with the St. Charles Police Department who led the investigation in that case. That ongoing case is the largest in St. Charles PD history.

Then it was my turn to present. For my presentation, my focus was how the audience could get involved in fighting trafficking in more abstract ways. I started by sharing the story of how I got involved in fighting trafficking (found in full in this blog post) and my experience as an anti-trafficking advocate communicating directly with trafficking survivor-warriors.

Left: Mari's post on Whisper; Right: One of Mari's last texts to me before losing touch

Then I discussed how the audience could get involved publicly through anti-trafficking demonstrations, such as A21’s Walk For Freedom, taking place this year on October 19, 2024.

2022 Walk For Freedom, Travelers Rest, SC

People who like to exercise could also fight trafficking through a fundraiser bike ride like Ride For Hope on June 8th (CBS Chicago interview with its founder, Mark Kurland) hosted by Christ Community Church to benefit Naomi’s House, or a 5K, such as Aruna Project’s Run For Her Freedom.

2023 Ride For Hope, Elgin, IL

2023 Aruna Run For Her Freedom - DeKalb, IL

For those who are creative or crafty, I suggested they could use their skills to create products and donate funds raised to local organizations. For example, in St. Louis, Monarch Jewelry is a nonprofit of almost entirely volunteers that comes together every week to make jewelry to sell, donating proceeds to Crisis Aid International, another St. Louis-based organization whose anti-trafficking efforts involve, “offering a sanctuary of safety, a journey of restoration, and an empowering toward a new beginning for survivors of sex trafficking and vulnerable youth” through their Safe Initiative.

Left: Monarch Jewelry products; Right: Product table at a Monach Jewelry show

For those who want to invest monetarily, I recommended purchasing from survivor-warrior owned businesses. One that I have been supporting for several years and recommended is Hero Bands, owned and operated by Elizabeth Frazier. I've discussed her business in depth in this post. Another business I recently learned about is owned and run by Jess Gilmore, a trafficking survivor who makes soaps and can be ordered through messaging her Facebook page. Jess is a graduate of The Covering House, a residential care facility for trafficked and sexually exploited children based in the St. Louis area.

Left: Hero Bands - Safe Bands; Right: Soap made by Jess Gilmore

To close my presentation, I suggested one of the simplest ways to raise awareness is to wear conversation-starting gear. For example, for my presentation, I was wearing my bracelets from Hero Bands, a t-shirt of my own design, a hat from The Covering House, and showed the QR code I have on my phone case to the LinkTr.ee in my Instagram bio.

After my presentation, a representative from Out of Darkness with Frontline Response in Atlanta, Georgia, spoke on his experience both as law enforcement and his experience with extraction operations. He specifically mentioned that he has a goal to extract at least as many women from trafficking as he arrested for prostitution while working as a law enforcement officer.

Following Out of Darkness, an officer with the Elgin Police Department gave a presentation on online safety. He presented on what apps can be dangerous, how to monitor children’s phones, how to have conversations with children about what is and isn't safe online, and what to do if a parent finds out their child has been unsafe, such as sending nude images to classmates or strangers online.

Finally, the summit closed with a Panelist Q&A, addressing questions like what are some are the biggest obstacles to someone asking for help – being so lost in their trauma that they don’t even recognize that they need help, thinking that their situation is “normal;” how community members can best protect their youth – serve as a mentor, being a safe and healthy form of connection; and how the audience can teach others how to spot trafficking – I recommended referring them to the OnWatch training course.

Each of the presenters was asked for one final takeaway for the audience, and this was mine:

It doesn’t take being a professional to take action against trafficking. You don’t need to be in law enforcement, healthcare, or politics. You just have to care. When I got involved, I was an 18-year-old college student who answered a call for help.

To quote the caption on one of my earliest Instagram posts of Mari’s text, “They are not victims; they are PEOPLE. Don’t ‘save’ the ‘victim;’ LOVE the PERSON. The best thing someone can do is give them support, show them they matter, be an ally they never thought imaginable. Yes, being freed from human trafficking is a huge step in realizing there’s a better life possible. But that means nothing if no one cares after that."

In total, we had 77 attendees at the summit and 10 signed up to be part of a coalition that will meet online monthly to train on how to give Human Trafficking 101 and safety trainings to schools, churches, and companies in the Kane County area. I want to thank everyone who attended this year and I ask for prayer and support in the continued efforts to fight human trafficking in our own communities.