January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. On Sunday, January 11, members of the Town Lake (TX) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated dressed in blue for their monthly meeting to recognize and support Human Trafficking Awareness Day. In partnership with two local area chapters, the Town Lake (TX), Austin (TX) and Lone Star (TX) Chapters will host a free educational Zoom session, “Stolen Freedom: The Human Cost of Trafficking,” on January 28 at 7:00 PM. CST. The public is encouraged to attend this important community event to educate and raise visibility and awareness of anissue affecting our community. 

The featured speaker, Dr. Tonya Stafford, is the Founder and CEO of It’s Going to Be Ok, a non-profit organization committed to educating the community to recognize, prevent and respond to human trafficking. 

A native of Dallas, Texas, Dr. Stafford is a survivor of human trafficking, having been sold by her mother at the age of 13. She has dedicated the past 20 years to advocating for the protection of women, children, and vulnerable adults. 

The state of Texas ranked second in the nation in human trafficking cases with over 300,000 victims. In 2022, a nationwide sex trafficking bust found victims right here in Austin.  

“It’s important to bring awareness to this issue because our community is not immune to it, and there are victims among us,” said Dr. Wanda Nelson, President of the Town Lake (TX) Chapter. “We want to help inspire community members to take action against human trafficking to prevent more people from becoming victims as well as by knowing how to respond if a victim asks for help”. 

Register Today! Registration for the free Zoom session can be found at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/thTYufwcTumt1W0CQky31Q