GirlSpring holding film screening, human trafficking panel

On March 9, GirlSpring will be hosting "In Our Own Backyard: A Human Trafficking Awareness Event." GirlSpring was created by Mountain Brook resident Jane Stephens Comer and is an organization that aims to provide young women with empowering role models and reliable information. 

The event will start at 6 p.m. with a free screening of the film 8 Days, which details the real-life situations of human trafficking. Described as "a film inspired by real events," viewers watch as 16 year-old Amber Stevens goes missing and is thrust into human trafficking while her family and community fight to find her and bring her home.

Immediately following the screening, GirlSpring will present a panel discussion featuring Alabama state representative Jack Williams, Wellhouse Director Carolyn Potter, local law enforcement agents, social workers, and students from the University of Georgia.

According to the release, 80 percent of victims of human trafficking are female and range between 11-14 years old.

"Human trafficking is not just happening in third world countries anymore. It is happening across the United States, and in Alabama the statistics are startling," the release said. It continued, saying that I-20 between Atlanta and Birmingham is driven by over 10 million people each year, and has the "unenviable title of being the Trafficking Superhighway, 'America's number one road for human trafficking.'"

The screening, which is recommended for parents and children ages 12 and up, will be held at The Clubhouse on Highland at 6 p.m. with light refreshments. To RSVP and reserve your seat, click here.