This week, WUSF’s public affairs show Florida Matters focuses on human trafficking in Florida.
According a local nonprofit organization working to tackle sexual exploitation, Manatee County is one of the worst places in the country for human trafficking.
Manatee Tiger Bay Club hosted speakers from the Bradenton Police Department, and Selah Freedom, a group that helps human trafficking victims. We hear from Selah Freedom president and CEO Elizabeth Melendez Fisher and Kindsey Neeson, director of operations and strategic development. The panel also includes Captain Warren Merriman and Sgt. William Knight of the Bradenton Police Department. The panel spoke June 6 at Pier 22 in downtown Bradenton.
We also hear the story of a Tampa woman whose father began sexually abusing her when she was a toddler. When she was a teenager, Connie Rose says her father began forcing her to have sex with other men for money. She shares her story so other people will know how serious the problem is around the community.
Listen to or download the audio of the show here.