Secretary of State Michael Watson is pleased to announce a Mississippi Businesses Against Trafficking (MBAT) Summit to be held the afternoon of Jan. 24, 2023, during National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
In collaboration with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI), the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), and the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Center for Human Trafficking Research and Training (CHRT), this live event will be held on the USM campus in Hattiesburg and will include educational information as well as a panel discussion with leading experts around the state and nation.
“We are excited to offer an MBAT Summit for Mississippi businesses to ensure they have the tools and resources needed for educating their employees, customers, and communities to combat human trafficking in our state. I’m extremely grateful for our partners who have helped plan this event tailored specifically to the business community. It truly takes a team effort,” said Secretary Michael Watson.
The MBAT Summit is open to all MBAT partners and those interested in learning more about how to combat human trafficking in Mississippi. Attendees must register prior to the event.
“As co-directors of USM’s Center for Human Trafficking Research and Training, my colleague, Dr. Kim Hogan, and I are thrilled to partner with the Secretary of State’s Office in their effort to bring awareness and resources about anti-human trafficking efforts to Mississippi’s businesses. We welcome the opportunity to highlight what businesses can do to prevent all forms of human trafficking while effectively responding to their customers and clients who are affected by this illegal activity,” said Dr. Tamara Hurst, Associate Professor, USM School of Social Work.
MBAT is a statewide initiative to raise awareness and empower Mississippi businesses to combat human trafficking. It is open to any business, nonprofit organization, or association in the State of Mississippi that is interested in promoting human trafficking awareness both internally and externally.
Event details:
• Date: Tuesday, January 24, 2023
• Time: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Location: Joe Paul Theater, 118 College Drive, Hattiesburg, MS 39406
• Click on registration link at: www.sos.ms.gov/press/secretary-watson-announces-mbat-summit
Following the summit, a free screening of the film, “Sextortion: The Hidden Pandemic” (Maria Demeshkina Peek) will be held from 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at the Joe Paul Theater. A panel discussion will follow.
The film is an investigation into the world of online grooming and sextortion--a present-day reality for one in seven children online. By unsealing the federal case of a top-gun pilot with hundreds of victims, and interviewing survivors and their parents, this true-crime piece exposes an often-overlooked crime against children, the tactics of online predators, and the voices of parents and law enforcement poised to stop online child exploitation in its tracks.
“Few people are familiar with the term “sextortion” even though this illegal activity has been happening for quite some time,” said Hurst. “Youth from our middle and high schools and adults in our college communities know how common it is for people to exchange explicit photos online. They may not know the danger involved or how these exchanges can morph into extortion. The screening highlights how easily someone can be manipulated into complying with requests from online predators.”
USM officially unveiled the new center in September of 2022 with the purpose of charting a new course for Mississippi’s anti-human trafficking policies, legislation, protocols, and victim services. In October 2022 the center was awarded $497,000 for the first year of a five-year demonstration program through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF).
Human trafficking is the exploitation of other humans, both youth and adults, of all genders for sex and/or labor. According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, hundreds of cases are reported in Mississippi annually, but due to reporting limitations, researchers at USM believe the numbers are likely even higher than current data suggests.
Hurst notes that the response to the announcement of CHRT has been “gratifying and reinforcing". "There is so much work to do in Mississippi, and we are excited to take our place among other entities that contribute to the state’s anti-human trafficking movement,” said Hurst.
To learn more about the Center for Human Trafficking Research and Training at USM, call 601.266.4163 or visit: www.usm.edu/chrt. Follow the center on social media through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: @USMCHRT.
For questions regarding the MBAT Summit, contact our External Affairs Division at [email protected] or 601-359-4454.
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