JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Jan. 11 is Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and Jacksonville leaders are coming together to talk about the prevalence of the issue thought of as modern day slavery. It’s in our area.
The numbers for 2021 are not out yet, but in 2020 the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office identified twice as many human trafficking victims as the year prior, and that included twice as many children.
One of the organizations speaking Tuesday is Rethreaded. They put survivors to work so that they can earn their own money and support themselves.
The jobs take place inside their store. They’ve expanded to help four times as many women last year, from 15 to 60 women.
Located in Springfield, their presence is a reminder that human trafficking is a real problem in our community. By giving these women jobs, the founder says it could save their life.
"Once she leaves, if a woman doesn't have access to a new job and a new community, there's an 85% chance that she'll be re-trafficked," said Kristin Keen, Rethreaded founder, in 2021.
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"It feels really, if I'm really honest, it feels so surreal," Keen said. "I am just so excited to see how many women in the future that we can bring into our community and see their lives transformed."
The even will begin at 8:30 on FSCJ's Downtown campus. The event features other leaders from Women's Center of Jacksonville and more.
JSO says they will release their 2021 statistics on human trafficking later in January.