On May 5, 2014, members of the Church of Christ in St. Joseph watched the film “Rape for Profit” before a panel discussion that included Dana Pfeiffer, Executive Director of the Springfield based Grounds of Grace and Champaign Police Detective Patrick Simons. “Rape for Profit” focuses on human trafficking in Seattle; Grounds of Grace assists victims of human trafficking.
Detective Simons told the group that human trafficking is not just a big city problem but is occurring in this area. He also indicated that most people believe victims of human trafficking are taken overseas but that is not necessarily the case. Ms. Pfeiffer’s group, Grounds of Grace, works with women, men, and children to break the cycle of human trafficking and that it takes a lot of resources and people. The group has three homes that provide residents with mentorship and educational, living, relationship, vocational, work, community, and spiritual programs. Ms. Pfeiffer told the group that the most helpful thing they can do to help victims of human trafficking is not to judge them.