Events
Rotary Clubs of Springdale and Fayetteville Host Day of Awareness to End Human Trafficking
Share:PermalinkEmail this Page
The Rotary Club of Springdale and the Rotary Club of Fayetteville joined forces to present A Day of Awareness to End Human Trafficking Monday, April 30, 2018, at the Jones Center for Families in Springdale. This program, sponsored in part by the Jones Center, was designed to bring awareness, attention, and understanding to the issue of human trafficking in Northwest Arkansas.
Thank you to all our presenters, attendees, and volunteers who made this Day of Awareness possible. Together, we can make a difference in this issue in Northwest Arkansas.
Human trafficking, sometimes called modern slavery, is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain labor or services or a commercial sex act. Any commercial sex act involving a person under the age of eighteen is unlawful in Arkansas and under federal law. Sex trafficking is better recognized and more frequently prosecuted, but both sex and labor trafficking are a growing concern in the United States, and in Northwest Arkansas. In order to address a problem, we first must recognize it exists: that knowledge was the purpose of Rotary's Day of Awareness.
Speakers addressed a wide range of perspectives. Topics included general information on human trafficking; incidences of trafficking in Arkansas; recognizing trafficking in various setting; remedies and assistance for survivors; and protecting children online and in social media. Two hours of continuing education credit for licensed counselors and social workers, six hours of continuing legal education credit, and six hours CLEST credit were available.
Additional resources are available below.
PROGRAM CLE AGENDA SPEAKERS FACILITY GUIDE RESOURCES
8:30 – 9:00 Welcome
Mayor Doug Sprouse
City of Springdale, Arkansas
United States Senator John Boozman
Arkansas
9:00 – 10:00 Session 1—Select one of the following:
Human Trafficking 101 - Chapel
Annie B. Smith, Associate Professor of Law, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
One Hour General CLE credit
Investigating Sex Trafficking - Room 260
(Law Enforcement Only; Must Bring Appropriate Credentials)
John Ahrends, Department of Homeland Security, in cooperation with the Arkansas State Police Division of Internet Crimes Against Children
10:00 – 10:10 Break
10:10 – 11:15 Session 2—Select one of the following:
Human Trafficking in the United States - Chapel
Duane A. Kees, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas
One Hour General CLE credit
Recognizing Human Trafficking for Counselors - Room 226
(Hour One of Two CE Credit Hours)
Dr. Michael Flowers, Clinical Director, Youth Bridge, and
Gretchen Smeltzer, Director, Into the Light
Recognizing Human Trafficking for First Responders - Room 227
Jason Edwards, First Responder and Into the Light Volunteer
Recognizing Human Trafficking in a Medical Setting - Room 228
Robert Allen, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Investigating Labor Trafficking - Room 260
(Law Enforcement Only; Must Bring Appropriate Credentials)
John Ahrends, Department of Homeland Security
11:15 – 11:30 Transition/Lunch is Served - Conference Center 226, 227, 228
11:30 – 1:00 Joint Rotary Meeting of Sponsoring Clubs and All Participants
Leslie Rutledge
Arkansas Attorney General
Kathy Bryan
Director of Elevate Academy, Author, Consultant, Advocate, and human trafficking survivor
One Hour General CLE credit
1:00 – 1:10 Transition
1:10 – 2:15 Session 3—Select one of the following:
Sex Trafficking in Northwest Arkansas - Chapel
Robert Allen, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Vulnerabilities of Immigrant Populations and Available Relief - Room 260
John Ahrends, Department of Homeland Security
Recognizing Human Trafficking for Counselors - Room 226
(Hour Two of Two CE Credit Hours)
Dr. Michael Flowers, Clinical Director, Youth Bridge, and
Gretchen Smeltzer, Director, Into the Light
Protecting Children from Sexual Predators Online and in Social Media - Room 227
(First Hour of Two Hour Session)
Barbara Gregory, Founder, Executive Director, Parents Against Child Trafficking (PACT)
Civil Remedies for Trafficking Survivors - Room 228
Annie B. Smith, Associate Professor of Law, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
One Hour General CLE credit
2:20 – 3:20 Session 4—Select one of the following:
Tales of Arkansas Labor Trafficking - Room 260
Annie B. Smith, Associate Professor of Law, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
One Hour General CLE credit
After-Care for Survivors of Sexual Trauma - Room 226
Carolyn Bates, Magdalene Serenity House
Protecting Children from Sexual Predators Online and in Social Media - Room 227
(Second Hour of Two Hour Session)
Barbara Gregory, Founder, Executive Director, Parents Against Child Trafficking (PACT)
Traps of the (Sex) Trafficker - Chapel
Kimberly Hank, Into the Light
3:20 – 3:25 Break
3:25 – 4:30 Panel Discussion and Question/Answer Session on Human Trafficking - Chapel
One Hour General CLE credit
Moderator: Duane A. Kees, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas
Panel Includes: Brenan T. Despain, Federal Bureau of Investigation
John Ahrends, Department of Homeland Security
Sheriff Tim Helder, Washington County
Annie B. Smith, Associate Professor of Law, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Kathy Bryan, Director of Elevate Academy, Author, Consultant, Advocate, and human trafficking survivor.
Dr. Michael Flowers, Clinical Director, Youth Bridge
Kevin Metcalf, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Washington County
Jenny Sorey, Founding Director, Hub of HOPE
Gretchen Smeltzer, Director, Into the Light
6:00—8:00 Encore Presentation
Protecting Children from Sexual Predators Online and in Social Media - Room 227
(Two Hour Session)
Barbara Gregory, Founder, Executive Director, Parents Against Child Trafficking (PACT)
SPEAKERS
Speakers include:
John G. Ahrends Before being assigned to HSI Fayetteville as the SAC New Orleans 287(g) Program Manager, Mr. Ahrends had assignments as a criminal investigator in HSI Northern Kentucky (Fort Mitchell, KY), Louisville, Kentucky and Oakdale, Louisiana.
|
|
Robert Allen Special Agent Federal Bureau of Investigation SA Robert Allen is a Special Agent with the FBI, assigned to the Fort Smith Resident Agency of the Little Rock Division. He has over twenty years of law enforcement experience. Agent Allen works all federal matters, but specializes in Child Exploitation and Sex Trafficking cases. He is part of a child exploitation task force, and has specialized in child exploitation and sex trafficking cases for many years. |
|
Carolyn Bates Community Outreach Coordinator Magdalene Serenity House
Carolyn Bates was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. She relocated to Fayetteville, Arkansas in July of 2015 and now serves as Community Outreach Coordinator of Magdalene Serenity House in Fayetteville. Carolyn was previously the United States Veterans Initiative Outreach Director in Houston Texas. As the Outreach Director, she provided resources to hundreds of veterans, both homeless and at-risk, equipping them with the skills needed to achieve self-sufficiency.
Magdalene Serenity House is a sanctuary for women survivors of human trafficking, childhood trauma, and addiction. It is a free, two-year residential program that gives women a safe place to recover, heal, and reintegrate in a stress-free and financially stable environment. Carolyn serves as a crucial part of the Magdalene team by building partnerships across Northwest Arkansas and supporting the program in a variety of ways. She is passionate about the quality of care and support services available to women survivors of human trafficking, childhood trauma, and incarceration. Carolyn herself has overcome many of these obstacles, which gives her the exemplary abilities to serve and educate others. |
|
United States Senator John Boozman Arkansas John Boozman is Arkansas’s senior U.S. Senator and the dean of the state’s Congressional delegation. |
|
Kathy Bryan |
|
Brenan T. Despain Federal Bureau of Investigation Brenan Despain joined the FBI in 1999 after working two years for the Department of Defense. His first field office was San Francisco where he worked Counterintelligence matters. In 2006, he was promoted and became a Supervisory Special Agent assigned to FBIHQ. Shortly after his transfer to D.C., Despain and family were transferred to China where he was detailed to the Department of State and tasked with safeguarding the construction of the new U.S. Embassy Beijing which was finished in 2008. He was then transferred to Guam where he worked with the Department of Defense to protect U.S. military bases safe from foreign adversaries. In 2009, he was transferred back to China where he worked for four years in the FBI's Legal Attaché Office covering China and Mongolia. In 2013, he transferred to Fayetteville, AR and worked National Security matters until being promoted as the Supervisory Senior Resident Agent in charge of the Fort Smith and Fayetteville Offices from 2015-2018. |
|
Jason Edwards |
|
Michael C. Flowers Director of Clinical Services Youth Bridge Michael C. Flowers is the Director of Clinical Services for Youth Bridge which has offices in Fayetteville, Rogers, Berryville, Harrison, and Mt. Home. He earned a BSE in English at Arkansas State University, and he taught high school English. ?Dr. Flowers earned his PhD/MA in Marriage and Family Therapy from University of Louisiana at Monroe. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor. At Youth Bridge, Dr. Flowers works with a dedicated team who provides quality service care for children and families in the areas of substance abuse counseling, behavioral health therapy, working with juvenile courts, foster care programs, residential substance abuse treatment, and shelter care for homeless and displaced youth. Youth Bridge is a non-profit dedicated to working with children and families who are considered our community's most at-risk. Youth Bridge collaborates with many children-centered partners such as schools, Division of Youth Services, Department of Children and Family Services, and many others. Dr. Flowers conducts training for educators, behavioral health providers, and other children service providers in the areas of behavioral health interventions for children, suicide prevention and intervention, substance abuse issues, and bully prevention. He lives in Fayetteville with his wife, Lara, and two children. |
|
Barbara Gregory Barbara graduated Summa Cum Laude from Pittsburg State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and a Minor in Psychology. Barbara wholeheartedly believes that one person can make a difference, and her 15-year professional career at Walmart has only served to reinforce this message. After two years in Sustainability, Barbara transitioned to the Responsible Sourcing division, where she managed supply chain investigations into such matters as forced labor and child labor. This work opened her eyes to the hidden nature of modern day slavery and the impact it had on real people around the world. Today, Barbara is focused on influencing the social compliance industry toward meaningful change through collaboration with a broad spectrum of stakeholders around the world. In 2017, Barbara was selected to co-lead the internationally-based Sedex Forced Labor Working Group. She has been active in the Walmart Women’s Resource Council and is a current member of Toastmasters International. In the community, Barbara is a dynamic force when it comes to raising awareness about trafficking, facilitating at victim services trainings, and sponsoring trafficking prevention activities in partnership with Hub of HOPE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). In a society where phones are closer than friends and relationships are managed by text messaging, “ultimate safety can only be achieved by forming a close bond with our children.” PACT is the only organization of its kind – an organization that equips parents to encourage, enable and support one another “to protect their children against the advances of child traffickers and other predators.”
|
|
Kimberly Hank Into the Light Kimberly began volunteering for Into the Light in 2015 presenting our Traps of the Trafficker prevention program in local Juvenile Detention Centers. Her love and passion for working with victims and survivors quickly grew. Kimberly is now Lead Advocate of Northwest Arkansas mentoring victims of sex trafficking weekly, presenting our prevention program, and providing training on the issue of sex trafficking to law enforcement. Kimberly is excited to see how Northwest Arkansas is growing in awareness of minor sex trafficking and hopes this community will lead the way in abolishing this issue in our state. |
|
Sheriff Helder was inducted into the 1stAnnual West Fork Alumni Hall of Honor in 2016. He is past president of the Arkansas Sheriff’s Association and past chair of the Washington Regional Hospital Board of Directors. He is also past chair of the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and currently serves on the Board of Directors, which includes the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Northwest Florida, and the city of Memphis, TN. Governor Asa Hutchinson appointed Sheriff Helder to the Legislative Criminal Justice Oversight Task Force in April of 2015. The task force’s purpose was to reduce prison overcrowding through sentencing and parole reforms. In April of 2017, Governor Hutchinson appointed Sheriff Helder to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory Board. The board appointment will expire in January of 2024. In March of 2018, Governor Hutchinson appointed Sheriff Helder to the Arkansas School Safety Committee.
Sheriff Helder began his law enforcement career in 1979 with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, working in communications as a dispatcher. He later attended the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy and continued to work for the Sheriff’s Office as a field deputy, patrolling the southern area of Washington County for two years.
1982 Sheriff Helder was hired by the Fayetteville Police Department as a patrolman and was later transferred to the Criminal Investigation Division. In 1986 he was promoted to Sergeant and supervised both the patrol and the Criminal Investigation Division. He was then promoted to Lieutenant in 1989 and continued to supervise patrol and the Criminal Investigation and later was transferred to Administration. In October of 2002 he was promoted to Deputy Chief at Fayetteville Police Department.
During his years of law enforcement, Sheriff Helder has attended some of the most prestigious training available. Probably the most notable being the FBI National Academy, a 10-week training course for police administrators from across the globe. Along with the training he has been provided opportunities to develop and manage programs such as the Drug Task Force, Bike Patrol, Office of Professional Standards and Physical Fitness for law enforcement.
After 21 years of service with the Fayetteville Police Department, in April of 2003, Helder returned to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office as chief deputy for then Sheriff Steve Whitmill. Helder entered the race for Sheriff after Whitmill accepted a position with Tyson Foods. He was subsequently elected, and began his first term on January 1, 2005. On January 1, 2017 he began serving his seventh term. Sheriff Helder is honored to be the longest serving Sheriff in the history of Washington County.
Since becoming Sheriff, Helder has undertaken the responsibility of managing the detention facility, which houses a maximum of 710 detainees. Along with the facility’s opening the Sheriff’s Office recruited and hired 85 new employees during his 1styear as Sheriff. Currently, 320 employees work for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Additionally, patrol services have increased by adding field deputies and utilizing state and federal funds allowing the Sheriff’s Office to add extra deputies in the rural communities. Through similar grant funding and sharing resources with Federal and local law enforcement the Washington County Sheriff’s Office has taken the lead in technology, training and facilities. |
|
Duane "Dak" Kees DAK earned his Juris Doctorate from the University Of Arkansas School Of Law. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate Officer Advanced Course, U.S. Army Judge Advocate Criminal Law Advocacy Course, Advanced Trial Advocacy Course as well as the U.S. Navy Complex Litigation Course. |
|
Kevin Metcalf Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Washington County, Arkansas Kevin Metcalf served as a law enforcement officer in local and federal positions from 1989 to 2011. He obtained his law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 2010 and has served as a deputy prosecuting attorney for the 4th Judicial District of Arkansas since 2011. His interest in the criminal use of computers and cellphones led him to training provided by the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI), the FBI CAST (Cellular Analysis Survey Team) Unit, and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) among others. |
|
General Rutledge believes face-to-face conversations lead to real solutions. Since taking office, she began a Mobile Office program for all 75 counties, a Military and Veterans Initiative, a Metal Theft Prevention program and a Cooperative Disability Investigations program to stop fraud in Social Security Disability.
Along with making the office more accessible, General Rutledge’s priorities have included creating more awareness of the office’s services, such as consumer protection and internet safety education; leading efforts to combat domestic violence; and focusing on making the office the top law firm for Arkansans. In addition to her state responsibilities, Rutledge actively works on multi-state issues with other attorneys general to include serving as Chairwoman of the Republican Attorneys General Association and Vice Chairwoman of the National Association of Attorneys General Southern Region. She also re-established and co-chairs the National Association of Attorneys General Committee on Agriculture. |
|
Gretchen Smeltzer Director and Co-Founder Into the Light Gretchen Smeltzer is the Director and a co-founder of Into the Light. Established as a 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization in 2015, Into the Light uses a three prong approach of prevention, identification, and advocacy to address the issue of minor sexual exploitation. Addressing the issue of sex trafficking and exploitation became a calling of Gretchen’s while in the process of adopting her son from China. Seeking to stop sex trafficking and bring awareness to the issue was a natural extension of caring for and serving the orphan and the child in foster care, as they are, the most likely to fall victim to sex trafficking. Partnering with other national organizations Gretchen has helped bring the, Trapsof the Trafficker, a prevention program geared toward minors, to the state of Arkansas. Currently, this program is consistently shared in four Arkansas juvenile detention centers and to girls on probation in Benton County. Gretchen enjoys working with Into the Light staff, volunteers, law enforcement, social services, and community organizations to establish resources and initiatives to address the issue of sexual exploitation of minors. Her relationship with God is her constant source of strength and hope. Gretchen is married to her husband, Jon, of 16 years and a mother to her three children. She enjoys running the roads and trails of the Natural State. |
|
Annie B. Smith Prior to joining the University of Arkansas faculty, Professor Smith served as a Friedman Fellow, visiting associate professor of clinical law, and interim director of the International Human Rights Clinic at The George Washington University Law School. While at George Washington, she and her students represented a group of guestworkers in Magnifico, et al. v. Villanueva, et al., 783 F.Supp.2d 1217 (S.D.Fla. 2011), a suit alleging forced labor and human trafficking and resulting in a $13.5 million judgment. Professor Smith practiced at Legal Services of New Jersey where she was the inaugural recipient of the Cole Fellowship. The fellowship recognizes extraordinary commitment to securing social and economic justice for people in poverty. Professor Smith and her students have represented numerous low-wage employees in unpaid wage, human trafficking, and other employment matters. Committed to community legal education, Professor Smith has led trainings for workers and organizers, conducted outreach to farmworkers and day laborers, and authored know-your-rights publications. Professor Smith's research interests include language access and the expansion and enforcement of guestworkers’ and immigrant workers’ workplace rights. Professor Smith is the former chair of the AALS Section on Poverty Law. She is currently a member of the section’s executive committee. She also serves as a board member of the Northwest Arkansas Workers’ Justice Center and Legal Aid of Arkansas. She is admitted to practice in Arkansas and New Jersey. |
|
Jenny Sorey
Founding Director Hub of HOPE Jenny Sorey is a wife, mom, educator – and she works as a modern day abolitionist – fighting the issues of human trafficking and modern day slavery across the globe. She is the founding director of Hub of HOPE, a not-for-profit organization based in Northwest Arkansas focused on providing Healing and Opportunities to victims of human trafficking and Prevention and Education to the community. Jenny serves as the Northwest Arkansas representative for PATH – Partners Against Trafficking Humans based in Little Rock, AR. She also serves as a community partner with the CRU Justice Coalition and resides on the Advisory Council for Freedom58 Project based in Erie, Colorado.
Jenny speaks on school campuses, churches, for civic and health organizations – truly to anyone who will lend an ear to hear the message of justice as it relates to freeing the oppressed. |
|
Doug Sprouse From 1999-2008, he served on the Springdale School Board. He served as president of the board from 2005 to 2007. In November of 2008, he was elected mayor of the City of Springdale. He was re-elected in both 2012 and 2016 without opposition. He is currently serving on the nine member State Street Aid Committee. He also represents Springdale as a member of the Arkansas Municipal League's Executive Committee and is currently serving as president of the League. |
RESOURCES
Note: The following resources and links will take you to websites unaffiliated with the Rotary Club of Springdale or Rotary International. The materials and content belong to the organizations noted.
Human Trafficking 101 (slides from the presentation at Rotary's Day of Awareness to End Human Trafficking, 4/30/2018)
National Human Trafficking Hotline
https://polarisproject.org/get-assistance/national-human-trafficking-hotline
Screening Tools:
Adult tool for service providers generally:
Child victims:
Healthcare providers:
Educators:
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/sites/default/files/Educator%20Assessment%20Tool.pdf
Runaway and homeless youth:
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/sites/default/files/Assessment%20-%20Runaway%20and%20Homeless%20Youth.pdf
Domestic violence and sexual assault programs:
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/sites/default/files/Assessment%20-%20Domestic%20Violence-Sexual%20Assault%20Programs.pdf
Organizations
Polaris Project
https://polarisproject.org
National Human Trafficking Resource Center
https://humantraffickinghotline.org
Human Trafficking Legal Center
http://www.htlegalcenter.org
Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking
http://www.castla.org/human-trafficking
Office for Victims of Crime
https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/humantrafficking/publicawareness.html
Toolkit for Students on College Campuses
Human Trafficking for First Responders in Arkansas (Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bIEQYIRbOQ
http://www.ccasa.org/take-off-the-cape/
Department of Homeland Security BLUE Campaign
https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/share-resources