Ensure Justice 2023

Vanguard University, the first four-year university in Orange County, and its Global Center for Women and Justice (GCWJ) will host a two-day conference to highlight human trafficking vulnerabilities on March 3-4, 2023, both in person at its Costa Mesa campus and through virtual presentations. This annual event, in partnership with the Orange County Department of Education, is open to the general public, including educators, parents, students, practitioners and more. This year’s theme, “Finding a Way Home,” will bring specific focus to children and youth who face housing insecurity, have experienced multiple foster care placements or have had to navigate other challenging systems. In 2022 there were 85 victims of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children served by Child Welfare and 78 were Orange County Residents. The event will explore all the factors that contribute to human trafficking and exploitation and further examine how to build robust community engagement with the necessary resources to support children and youth at risk. A special screening of the movie Sextortion: A Hidden Pandemic will be screened Friday evening at 6:00 p.m.