Our speaker on February 2nd was Rick Naylor, Founder and Executive Director of Partners Against Child Trafficking (PACT). Rick and recent UT grad Daniella presented a most informative program on human trafficking, with the greater emphasis on child trafficking. It is a topic that has been difficult to discuss in any setting, most especially in the family and schools where it is most needed. Texas is the number two state, Houston the number one city in the US for number of cases of this problem. Globally 40.3 million are victims of a 150 billion dollar illegal industry. Rotary has named human trafficking as an emphasis for this year and has adopted the curriculum developed by Partners Against Child Trafficking (PACT) to be used in middle and high schools and on college campuses. They are asking local clubs for referrals and introductions to schools via Interact, Rotaract, and RYLA. Their mission is to raise awareness, reduce victimization, and disrupt demand. The problem of child trafficking begins with a two-pronged reality: a population of vulnerable children who are struggling with self-esteem and lack of identity, and a recruiter finds and grooms the victim. With the onset of Covid, the cases have doubled, largely due to the use of the Internet by the recruiters. They especially mine those in foster care, youths of color, abused and disabled youths, and the LBGTQ individuals. And middle schools are number one sources of these children. The treatment is based on realization/recognition of the problem, reporting, and then counseling, with supportive services provided. As with all social problems, the approach is prevention (through education and empowerment), and victim services. There has been a great positive response to the educational efforts in schools and PACT is currently preparing to launch a similar program in Thailand. For more information: www.pact.city and www.sacttraining.city.