Hot Topics – Victims of Sexual Exploitation

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We hear that sexual exploitation and human trafficking is a major problem in the Tampa Bay area and in Florida, and yet we know so little about it. Join this program to learn about the problem, what research shows and how effective are current efforts and resources to tackle the problem and their effectiveness. More importantly, what is the impact of those that are being sexually exploited, what happens to those individuals and are there adequate avenues for that individual to rebuild her or his life.

Our three speakers include two researchers from the USF Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Risk to Resilience Research Lab, located on the USF St. Petersburg Campus, and the Awareness Coordinator from Selah Freedom, an anti-trafficking non-profit organization headquartered in Sarasota.  Dr. Joan Reid, Director of the TIP Lab, is an internationally recognized expert on the topic, and Dr. Sandra Stone has been working with Selah Freedom since 2017.  Yvonne Lefebre represents Selah Freedom, which was established in 2010 and serves victims of human trafficking and the larger community through awareness, prevention, outreach, residential and consulting programs.

Do not miss this important program!

Speakers:

• Dr. Sandra Stone has experience both inside and outside academia in the fields of health, social services and education as a direct service provider, teacher, researcher, administrator and consultant. She has taught a wide range of courses in sociology and criminology, and her primary research interests are in family violence, juvenile delinquency/juvenile justice, women and crime, public policy, and program evaluation.c Current research activities include projects with the USF Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Risk to Resilience Research Lab, Selah Freedom, and identifying challenges to successful reentry into the community for older, formerly incarcerated individuals.
• Joan A. Reid, Ph.D., LMHC is a Professor of Criminology and Director of the USF Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Risk to Resilience Research Lab located on the USF St. Petersburg campus. Dr. Reid and her collaborators at the USF TIP Lab are working to transform Tampa Bay from a region characterized by a high risk for human trafficking to a region of resilience. Recently, she was ranked the 5^th most active human trafficking researcher in the world. Her research has impacted treatment and response to child victims of human trafficking regionally and nationally, and been cited as guidance in human trafficking cases in various State Supreme Courts and the U.S. Supreme Court case Jane Doe et al. vs. Backpage et al., U.S.16-276 (2016).
• Yvonne Lefebre is the Awareness Coordinator of Salah Freedom. Yvonne worked as the Practice Manager for several Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery Practices and had television appearances, radio interviews and a column in New York Magazine. When she moved to Florida, she focused on Network Marketing for various Med Spas. When she attended her first fundraiser for Selah Freedom, “Light The Path”, she found her new purpose. She is now the Awareness Coordinator for Selah Freedom, and is devoted to spreading awareness on the reality and existence of sex trafficking, and helping turn lives around.