January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month
Media Contact: Lucie Fornasiero, EAFocus Communications; lucie@eafocus.com; 248.925.6726; Sharman Davenport, Turning Point; sdavenport@turningpointmacomb.org; 586.463.4430
Mount Clemens, Mich. – January 16, 2026 – Turning Point, an agency whose mission is to empower survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking through comprehensive services and resources, is joining in the recognition of January as National Human Trafficking Prevention Month by hosting Beyond the Headlines, an educational session on human trafficking, on Thursday, January 29 from 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Mt. Clemens Public Library. Sharman Davenport, Ph.D., President and CEO of Turning Point, remarked on the importance of offering informational sessions like this.
“While general awareness of human trafficking has certainly increased, many people still do not realize it is happening in their own communities,” Davenport warned. “Unfortunately, Turning Point serves survivors of human trafficking from our communities—our own backyards—every week. Education and awareness are essential to reducing human trafficking, with the ultimate goal of eliminating it altogether.”
Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act, and it affects men, women and children. A common pattern of traffickers is grooming – an effort to gain someone’s trust in order to exploit or harm them. An unfortunate reality of human trafficking is those who become involved in trafficking frequently know and trust their trafficker.
During Beyond the Headlines, participants will learn how and where to spot trafficking situations, how to talk to individuals being trafficked, and provide trauma informed support to survivors and resources for help. The course is approved for continuing education credits for nurses and social workers. Tickets are $15, and interested attendees can learn more and register here.
“Throughout Turning Point’s more than 45 years of service to the community, we have always extended support to survivors of sexual human trafficking. In 2022, we formally expanded our mission to make a more concerted effort to assist all survivors of human trafficking. Since then, we have provided services to survivors of both labor and sex trafficking and have built strong partnerships within our community, as well as at the state and federal levels.”
Turning Point’s services for human trafficking survivors include emergency shelter, transitional housing, forensic nursing exams, first response advocacy, and additional offerings to address complex trauma including individual and group counseling, life skills, and advocacy. For individuals who know someone in a human trafficking situation, provide them with Turning Point’s hotline number when safe to do so, operational 24/7, at 586-463-6990; or contact via email at humantrafficking@turningpointmacomb.org.
About Turning Point
Turning Point provides free, confidential, inclusive, and accessible services to honor the unique needs, identities, and experiences of individuals who identify as a survivor of domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking for over 45 years. Services include a 24-hour hotline, emergency shelter, housing, counseling, legal advocacy, personal protection order support, forensic nurse and first response advocacy, prevention, and community education. In addition to these programs, Turning Point operates Second Hand Rose, a resale store that offers gently used merchandise to the community to support survivors and the agency’s mission. On average, Turning Point provides services to over 27,000 survivors and community members annually. Visit www.turningpointmacomb.org for more information.
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