Pomona First Baptist to fight human trafficking

Pomona First Baptist Church is launching a program designed to address human trafficking.

The first meeting of the group will take place at 12:30 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 12) in Building H, Room 104 of Pomona First Baptist Church, 586 N. Main St.

In the past the church had a ministry that worked to address prostitution in the city, said Lisa Toney, pastor of spiritual formation at Pomona First Baptist.

But in the course of their work church members learned about the problem of human trafficking.

"It's not just something that happens overseas," Toney said.

Human trafficking often involves woman who are deceived or forcibly taken from their countries to other nations where they are forced to work in any one of various occupations ranging from housekeepers to prostitutes for little or no money, she said.

Often the women's captors hold the victims immigration documents to prevent them from trying to escape or threaten to kill family members if they attempt to flee, Toney said.

Toney said efforts are under way to make Pomona a traffic-free community and part of that involves inviting residents from across the city concerned about the problem to work together.

Through the new group the participants will learn about what human trafficking entails, the signs that someone may be held against her will and how to address the problem, Toney said.

"This is one of those things that bridges beyond religious affiliation and political affiliation," Toney said.

If one comes across a victim being held against her will as part of a human trafficking scheme they can pass the information on to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 888-373-7888.

For information on Pomona First Baptist's efforts to address human trafficking call 909-629-5277, ext. 3019.