Our guest speaker on Friday, August 4th was Kevin Austin, Founder and Director of the Set Free Movement based in Marysville, an organization dedicated to a vision to see that the vulnerable are protected from human trafficking by setting them free.
In 2004, there were twenty-seven million victims of human trafficking and now that number has climbed to around fifty million and a $150 billion business.
Washington State is in the top 15 states in the supply chain for human trafficking. There are 500-700 sexually exploited youth in Seattle. Every year, the organizations identify 40-45 juveniles involved in the trafficking trade here in Snohomish County according to Newman Skomski. Easy to transport victims up and down the 1-5 corridor between Vancouver, BC and Portland, OR.
Their vision is to see the vulnerable protected, captives set free and oppressed experiencing hope and healing as neighborhoods are transformed.