COLORADO SPRINGS — The Human Trafficking Task Force of Southern Colorado will host an event that aims to show what it looks like to combat sex trafficking through the story of Laura Parker, CEO and Co-founder of The Exodus Road.

The event is open to the public for in person attendance at the First United Methodist Church in Colorado Springs on May 10. The event will be livestreamed and will be available for participation online at 6:15 p.m.

Parker will discuss her experience and what she has learned fighting human trafficking for the last ten years. Her organization has battled human trafficking on all fronts. This includes undercover efforts with local police, identifying exploitation in social media and other online channels, anti-trafficking education for communities and aftercare services for survivors.

“Human trafficking especially sex trafficking, it hides in places you wouldn’t expect it including in our own community,” said Parker. “Any kind of law that we can help workers become more safe in any capacity is ultimately a really good thing.”

One of the most difficult hurdles Parker and her organization has had to face is the increase in exploitation of people online.

“The biggest and most challenging things is to try and keep ahead… because obviously the tech space is so complex and takes a lot of resources to try and figure out how to combat it,” stated Parker.

According to Exodus Road, there are more than 40 million modern day slaves in the world.

“We all have this responsibility as human beings to take a step towards the most vulnerable right in our own communities,” Parker said.

To view the meeting, go to ht-colorado.org and click “Join Meeting.” The Exodus Road also offers a TraffickWatch Academy course to learn the warning signs that someone might be trafficked and practical steps you can take to combat trafficking in all its forms– enroll at theexodusroad.com/traffickwatch