LEWISTON — January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and Safe Voices will be holding a vigil in Lewiston on Monday, Jan. 29 to honor those who have experienced domestic abuse and violence. The vigil is held annually to honor those who have lost their lives or freedom to human trafficking, offer support to those still experiencing this exploitation, and support those who have survived.
The candlelit vigil will start at 2 p.m. and will be held in Dufresne Plaza at 72 Lisbon Street. It will include speakers, a remembrance ceremony, and all are invited to attend and show their support. While many residents don’t know that human trafficking is present in Maine, law enforcement encounter 300-400 cases annually of sex trafficking, which is a form of human trafficking. Domestic abuse and sex trafficking are community issues, representing danger not just to those who live through abuse and exploitation, but to the community at large. Safe Voices invites friends and neighbors to join together to show that the effort to end human sex trafficking must also be a community one.
For more information about this or other Safe Voices events, please contact Safe Voices at 207-795-6744 or [email protected].
Safe Voices is the domestic abuse and sex trafficking resource center serving Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford counties. Last year, the agency worked with over 2,200 unique survivors in these counties to help them safety plan, access shelter, work with civil and legal advocates, and work through emergent crises as well as the ongoing, long-term effects of domestic abuse and sex trafficking. The agency has been doing this work in Maine since 1977. Those experiencing or impacted by domestic abuse and needing to reach out should call the agency’s 24-hour helpline at 1-800-559-2927.
