MURRIETA – Concerned citizens and social welfare activists will come together on Feb. 16 to take a stand against child sex trafficking – around the globe and in Riverside County – along with other forms of human slavery.

The forum, dubbed "The Justice Matters Conference: Abolishing 21st Century Slavery and Human Trafficking," will feature guest speakers representing nonprofit organizations, law enforcement, and child welfare agencies who work the front lines of the global fight against human trafficking.

Scheduled speakers include Kaign Christy of the International Justice Mission, who previously spearheaded IJM’s campaign against child sex trafficking in Southeast Asia, an international hotbed for the child sex trade; Kevin Potter, a pastor who has worked with AIDS patients in the red-light districts of Mumbai, India; and Harmony Dust, a former stripper Advertisement

[ Fallbrook Hospital ] who founded a Los-Angeles-based outreach to women looking to break away from the sex industry.

The conference, sponsored by Calvary Chapel Murrieta and Vanguard University, will include film clips, question-and-answer sessions and a chance to mingle with and gather information from activists representing myriad organizations dedicated to fighting human exploitation.

Among topics for discussion: how to recognize possible signs or victims of human trafficking in our back yard – and what to do about it.

The conference will unfold from 8 a.m to 4 p.m. at Calvary Chapel Murrieta, 24225 Monroe Avenue. Admission is $20. Lunch will be available for purchase on site.

Registration will be offered on site the day of the event. To download a registration form or for more information on the conference visit www.calvarymarketplace.com/justice/2013

or call (951) 677-5667.