Press release:
Nearly 300 community leaders from across the state are meeting to discuss how their
communities can fight human trafficking in North Carolina and how they can help victims of
human trafficking.
The Project NO REST 2017 Conference in Asheville, Aug. 15–16, is the first conference of its
kind in North Carolina, coordinators say. The event offers information, resources and training
around the theme “FEET (Fortifying Efforts to Eradicate Human Trafficking) on the Ground in
NC.”
Project NO REST (a project of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social
Work) and Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) are hosting the conference.
Dean Duncan, who leads Project NO REST, says, “We’re bringing people together from across
the state — people working in law enforcement, child welfare, health care and other services.
“Our whole focus is collaboration and how they can promote comprehensive services to victims
of trafficking.”
Conference keynote speakers are Katherine Chon, director of the Office on Trafficking in
Persons, US Department of Health and Human Services; Tina Frundt, founder and executive
director of Courtney’s House; Rumay Alexander, associate vice chancellor for diversity, UNCChapel
Hill; and Billy West, district attorney for Cumberland County, N.C.
In addition, 16 leaders in the field will serve as panelists and discussion facilitators during
conference sessions.
Additional support for the conference is provided in part by NC Coalition Against Sexual Assault,
NC Health and Human Services, Women for Women, State of North Carolina Human Trafficking
Commission, UNC School of Government and UNC School of Media and Journalism.
For a complete list of conference educational sessions, please download the Project NO REST
2017 Conference brochure here: mahecProject NO REST is a statewide effort, coordinated by the UNC School of Social Work, to
strengthen and expand the state’s infrastructure to address human trafficking and document
how it affects children and young people. projectnorest
MAHEC is the largest Area Health Education Center in North Carolina, serving a 16-county
region. It provides continuing education programs as well as healthcare services in family
medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, geriatrics and dentistry.
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