Northeast State hosts Nat’l Human Trafficking Prevention Month event

Published 8:16 am Wednesday, January 25, 2023

January marks National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and Northeast State’s Student Social Work Organization will host a guest speaker to raise awareness about the global issue that involves an estimated 27.6 million victims worldwide.

Gabi Smith of Knoxville’s Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking (CCAHT) is slated to speak Jan. 31 from noon until 1:20 p.m. in room L226 on the second floor of Basler Library at the College’s Blountville campus located at 2425 TN-75.

Smith joined the CCAHT team in 2020 and works as a community care liaison in Johnson City. The East Tennessee State University alumna earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and returned to school to obtain her master’s degree in criminal justice. She previously served as a coordinated community response specialist for the Washington County/Johnson City Family Justice Center to help domestic assault and sexual abuse victims.

The CCAHT aims to educate, equip and empower the community to recognize the signs of human trafficking while connecting victims with restorative resources. It serves 33 counties in East Tennessee.