JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Rethreaded, a Jacksonville based nonprofit focused on breaking the cycle of the sex trade, is partnering with the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office to fight human trafficking during the Georiga-Florida game this weekend.
Last Friday, Rethreaded hosted a meeting of all the managers working the Georgia-Florida game weekend.
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Local zTrip operators were also there to learn and help communicate signs and responses to sex trafficking to their drivers and dispatchers.
Lt. Kevin Goff from JSO educated the group on identifying and recognizing signs of human trafficking and what the proper response is once someone is identified as being involved in trafficking.
“Historically, large scale events bring an increase in sex trafficking to the host location,” Goff said. “By increasing awareness of this crime, we hope to reduce the amount of trafficking that takes place in the city. We commend the hospitality industry for hosting a training by service providers.”
A Rethreaded employee shared her story of hope and a list of resources that have been helpful to other survivors. The Rethreaded survivor employee encouraged and asked attendees to treat anybody they encounter with respect.
“They are more scared than you,” she said.
Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront is also hosting a Rethreaded pop-up shop from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday in the hotel’s lobby. The pop-up shop will include grace scarves, dog chew toys, key chains, bags and many other women’s and men’s accessories in team colors made by survivors of human trafficking locally and globally.
All sales directly support Rethreaded.
“We are so encouraged by this partnership in our city to help stop human trafficking,” said Kristin Keen,
founder and president of Rethreaded. “Having this pop-up shop enables us to have provide more hours of employment and training for survivors -- and therefore helps to stop the cycle of the sex trade.”
For more information, visit http://www.rethreaded.com.