At the age of 15, Theresa Flores was raped, drugged, blackmailed, tortured and received death threats on multiple occasions. On Nov. 21, she will be sharing her story at Grand Valley State University’s Cook-DeWitt Center from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in hopes to illuminate the issue of human trafficking.

Flores grew up in the upper middle-class suburbs of the metro Detroit area. It all started after school one day when Flores was offered a ride home by a fellow classmate, a boy that Flores actually had a crush on for quite some time. Instead of driving her home though, the boy brought Flores to his house and proceeded to drug and rape her in his basement.

Afterward, Flores was threatened with blackmail and harm to her family. As a result, Flores was trafficked by the men in her community for two long years before eventually speaking out about it.

Since speaking out on her experience, Flores has traveled across the United States sharing her story at different high schools and colleges to spread the awareness of human trafficking. Whether one wants to believe it or not, human trafficking is something happening in the backyard of many cities.

GVSU professor Tonisha Jones has focused her studies on criminal justice and human trafficking. Jones said that human trafficking is a real and important issue all across Michigan.

“Human trafficking is an issue gone unnoticed by much of the public because of a lack of education,” Jones said. “There are common misconceptions about human trafficking. People think it has to take place on an international level like in the movie ‘Taken,’ when really it’s happening all around us.”

Jones said there are common signs to look for in individuals who may be the victim of human trafficking.

“The kids who are more vulnerable are thought to be at a greater risk than others,” Jones said. “A victim can be male or female. Common indicators of a human trafficking victim is their physical and mental health, where they are living as well as their ability to control a situation. These are all things that relate back to the vulnerability of a victim.”

Eyes Wide Open is a GVSU organization created in 2001 with the goal of educating students about the realities of sexual assault happening on campus.

Club president Trevor Wuori said the number of men and women on campus who have been sexually assaulted is too high.

“Results from a random sample survey at GVSU in 2012 showed that one in four women had been sexually assaulted in the prior 12 months, and that one in 10 men had been sexually assaulted in the same time period,” Wuori said. “Now while that doesn’t necessarily mean that they all occurred at GVSU, they are still members of the GVSU community that have been personally affected by these crimes.”

Wuori said that Eyes Wide Open focuses on sexual assault, a topic that doesn’t quite match the scale of human trafficking. He hopes that students make the decision to attend the Theresa Flores event and find it educational and important.

“I think it’s important students go to this event because there is so much to be learned about these issues,” Wuori said. “By raising awareness and educating people, we can start to shift the culture and attitudes around these issues.”

For more information about human trafficking, go to www.traffickfree.com.

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