Members of the Bismarck-Mandan area pastoral community were at the University of Mary (July 24) to talk about Human and Sex Trafficking.
"A lot of people don't realize human trafficking is happening right here in our state," said U-Mary director of the Demand Reduction Program Stacy Schaffer. "And they don't know what to do."
Schaffer said it is very important that individuals are educated, and given tools to allow them to teach their congregations and other people within their communities.
The program is also commonly known as the "John's School." It is the only school in the country run by a university.
The program has only been up and running since September. Schaffer said typically, someone might be charged with a class “A” or class “B” misdemeanor for “buying" someone over the age of 18. That person can be sentenced to the program at U-Mary.
"It's a day-long class, where we really focus on 'what is human trafficking -- what does it look like, what are some of the health ramifications associated with it, legally, what can happen to you if you continue down this path," Schaffer said.
And to cap things off, people attending that class will hear from a survivor of sex trafficking.
"We hope that will help decrease the demand, when it comes to purchasing people for different sex acts," Schaffer said.
Schaffer said the program is new, and she doesn’t yet have data. But she said nationally, the rate for re-offending among those who are in “john’s schools” is very low.