Websites like seekingarrangement.com, which sell sex or provide dating services, are highly common links to human trafficking in West Alabama. Several professionals came together to make students aware of the prevalence of human trafficking on college campuses on Jan. 22.

Susan Clements, staff therapist in the UA counseling center, talked about the history behind seeking arrangements and the creation of sugar daddies and sugar mamas.

“From what we’re seeing on the counseling side, it’s very dangerous,” Clements said. “It is basically a grooming tool. Two years ago, The University of Alabama was top 10. The most recent update I read is top five.”

Tuscaloosa Police Department Lt. Darren Beams spoke about the newly sanctioned Human Trafficking Task Force in Tuscaloosa, which includes both UAPD and the Tuscaloosa Police Department.

“In 2017, we led the state,” Beams said. “There were 31 cases brought up to the prosecution in Alabama and eight of them were in Tuscaloosa.”

Beams said there are several places human trafficking is most common to occur, including Alabama or Auburn football games, Talladega races, the Hangout Music Festival and the National Peanut Festival.

Brenda Maddox, program director of the SAFE Center, spoke about the three types of trafficking: labor, sex and domestic. Maddox said the SAFE Center’s services are available to anyone who has been harmed ages 14 and up. The Center will conduct a series of treatment, medication and collection of evidence. All treatment done is free of charge and each survivor will receive an advocate from the Women and Gender Resource Center (WGRC) where the survivor will have the option to remain anonymous.

“We will give you new clothing, food, something to drink, whatever you need,” Maddox said.

Sierra Groce, a member of Alpha Phi Sigma, the criminal justice honor society, said the organization wanted to reach out and bring awareness to the campus community.

“I did not know anything about that website, Seeking Arrangements, and I was shocked when all those people raised their hand and knew what it was,” Groce said. “I feel I like I can use this information I learned tonight to inform my peers and be a good source for them.”

To get involved with helping human trafficking in the community visit traffickinghope.com or the WGRC’s website.