PULLMAN, Wash.—Northwest Public Television announced today that it will broadcast an independent film about sex trafficking in the Tri-Cities.
The program, ‘Here? Sex Trafficking in our Community’ airs 7 p.m. Oct. 2 on KTNW and KWSU. It will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by a panel discussion and call-in program live from the Northwest Public TV studio in Richland on the Washington State University campus.
“Many people think that this problem only happens in third-world countries,” said Betty Adams, producer of Sex Trafficking. “It is actually happening in the Tri-Cities and smaller communities.”
Co-producer Susan Bauer said “Our film looks at the environment that creates the problem and the people trying to cure it. We share some shocking data that shows at least 100,000 minors across the U.S. are trafficked each year and the average age is 13. It happens here as well as metropolitan areas.”
The film explores the problem and the local agencies working to solve it. Those agencies include Kennewick Police Department, Richland Police Department, Tri-Cities Coalition Against Trafficking, Union Gospel Mission, Soroptimist Task Force, gang outreaches, mental health advocates, area school districts and prosecuting attorneys.
Representatives from each group will be in the audience to participate in the panel discussion. The viewing audience is encouraged to call in with their questions. Glenn Johnson, professor at The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University will moderate the panel.
Northwest Public Television is a service of The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. Its two broadcast stations serve audiences in the Columbia Basin and Inland Northwest.