Office of Women’s Policy to Host Theatrical Performance of “7 Layers Captive”
WHAT:
The Office of Women’s Policy is inviting the public to attend the theatrical performance of
“7 Layers Captive,” featuring the dramatic true story of one young woman’s tragic abduction into prostitution and her ultimate escape and triumphant survival.
Stacy Jewell, in her own poetic words, will move and inspire audiences by her grit and spirit as
she leaves her heart and soul wide open on stage, with the authority and authenticity of someone who has been there and back.
7 Layers Captive was the “Winner of Best Play & Performance of 2015 Washington, DC,” by DC Metro Theater Arts.
Tickets are free to the public through Eventbrite at https://htplay.eventbrite.com
As seats are not assigned, early arrival is recommended to ensure preferred seating. Parental discretion is advised due to mature content which may be inappropriate for children under 13.
WHO:
Stacy Jewell, Writer, Director and Survivor
Santa Clara County Office of Women’s Policy
Santa Clara County Human Trafficking Commission
WHEN AND WHERE:
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Play: 7:00 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.
Theater at the Mexican Heritage Plaza, School of Arts & Culture
1700 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose, CA 95116
WHY:
To observe Human Trafficking Awareness Month and raise awareness about the crime commonly referred as “modern day slavery,” the Office of Women's Policy is hosting this insightful theatrical production told by Stacy Jewell. The goal is to engage teens, young adults and the community to help prevent and limit exploitation within Santa Clara County and the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
The production will also "kick-off" the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking (SBCEHT) 2017 Conference, of which the Office of Women's Policy is a partner.
The “Human Trafficking: An Intersectional Approach” conference will be held Friday, January 27, 2017, from 8:30a.m.- 4 p.m. and featured speakers include Harold D’Souza of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking; Maggy Krell, California Attorney General's Office; Cindy Chavez, Board Supervisor District 2, County of Santa Clara; and, Magdalena Carrasco, Council Member, District 5, City of San Jose.
To register and for more information please go to http://bit.ly/2dYXpUr
About the L.E.H.I.T. Task Force
The Santa Clara County L.E.I.H.T. (Law Enforcement Investigating Human Trafficking) Task Force is dedicated to the proactive investigation of sex and labor trafficking in Santa Clara County, and responsible for much of the human trafficking public outreach and law enforcement training conducted within the county. The task force consists of a sergeant and two detectives from the Sheriff’s Office, and an investigator and prosecutor from the District Attorney’s Office.
Since the creation of the L.E.I.H.T. Task Force in 2014, Santa Clara County has experienced an uptick in the number of exploitative situations uncovered, perpetrators prosecuted, and victims recovered. The L.E.I.H.T. Task Force collaborates often with other police agencies in Santa Clara County, and works closely with community-based organizations to ensure that investigations and prosecutions are victim-centered and trauma-informed.
About human trafficking
Victims of human trafficking can be U.S. Citizens, foreign nationals, adults or minors. Traffickers use force, fraud or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor/services against their will.
According to the International Labor Organization, forced labor and human trafficking is a $150 billion industry worldwide, and there are 20.9 million victims of human trafficking globally.
- 68% of them are trapped in forced labor.
- 26% of them are children.
- 55% are women and girls.
- The U.S. Department of Labor has identified 139 goods from 75 countries made by forced and child labor.
- In 2015, an estimated 1 out of 5 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were likely child sex trafficking victims.
- Of those, 74% were in the care of social services or foster care when they ran.
- The Polaris Project estimates that the total number of human trafficking victims in the United States reaches into the hundreds of thousands when estimates of adults and minors in sex trafficking and labor trafficking are aggregated.
- California has the highest number of reported cases in the United States. As of September 30, 2016, California had a total of 1,012 reported criminal cases to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, of which 804 were sex trafficking and 110 were labor trafficking cases.
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Media Contacts: Laurel Anderson/Marina Hinestrosa, Office of Public Affairs, (408) 299-5119; Rose Mukhar, Office of Women's Policy, (408) 299-5166.