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Sunday, May 20, 2012: "The Slave Next Door" Time: 11:00am Guest Speaker: Kathlyn Mackovjak
Kathlyn M. Mackovjak, Supervising Attorney at Gulfcoast Legal Services on Sunday, presents "The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking in Pinellas County" on this Social Justice Sunday.
Florida has one of the highest incidences of human trafficking in the United States. Recently, in a prosperous Treasure Island neighborhood, authorities found a houseful of women forced into prostitution and compelled to dance in area clubs while being physically and mentally abused. In her role at GLS, Ms. Mackovjak has first-hand experience representing victims of this sort.
“The ones we can identify and rescue are just the tip of the iceberg,” Ms. Mackovjak states. “Thousands of victims of human trafficking are enslaved in the United States, often living and working in plain view of the public. Along with area police departments, federal agencies, and private organizations, we work to educate people to recognize the red flags that can identify victims.”
Ms. Mackovjak supervises the immigration unit at GLS which represents victims of trafficking in their immigration proceedings. With degrees from the University of Florida and Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, DC, Ms. Mackovjak has volunteered with the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa and worked as an environmental engineer for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Rwanda, Angola, the Republic of Congo, Kosovo and Afghanistan. |
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