BUCHANAN, Mich. — The citizens of Buchanan, similar to many small towns, like to believe that bad things only happen other places. Recently a group from Buchanan First United Methodist Church met with Cathy Knauf of the Southwest Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force to learn more about their chosen topic for their annual “Change the World Day,” the topic of human trafficking.

Human trafficking is a global problem that happens locally. Per the U.S. State Department, human trafficking is modern day slavery and the second largest criminal enterprise in the world.

According to researcher/author Kevin Bales, there are an estimated 27 million people in slavery in the world right now. Last year, the United States had 5,042 reported cases of trafficking — 71 percent were sex trafficking and 16 percent were labor trafficking.

Labor trafficking in the United States goes largely unreported. Traffickers exploit children, women and men regardless of gender, sexuality, age, race, ethnicity, national origin or socioeconomic status.

In 2014, 171 calls came into the National Hotline from Michigan. Fifty-seven of those calls involved underage victims and 10 of the calls came from truck stops. These statistics have been generated using case data from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center and Polaris BeFree SMS textline.”

Activists and law enforcement are well aware of the local impact.

“Most people think that this would never happen in a small town but human trafficking has no boundaries. This is a nationwide concern,” said Tim Ganus, Buchanan Assistant Chief of Police.

Cathy Knauf of The Southwest Michigan Task Force got involved without knowing much about the subject, but now is a passionate activist and educator.

“What predators fear the most is a well-informed community,” she said as she encouraged church members in their efforts.

Members of Buchanan First United Methodist Church have made community awareness their call to action.

“Every day human beings, our brothers and sisters, are forced to work or are sexually exploited, and the numbers are so big that we may wonder what we can do to help. By building community awareness our church believes that people will be protected and set free, “ said Pastor Rob McPherson.

Planned activities include utilizing materials from The Southwest Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force and the Human Trafficking National Resource Center to create and deliver packets of information to churches, local businesses, medical practices, and schools. These packets will include the signs to watch for that someone is being trafficked and the national hotline number.

First United Methodist Church will also be selling bracelets and seeking donations to train local law enforcement. Only a few Buchanan officers have been able to take the training since it involved significant travel time and expenses.

Training is free for law enforcement, but costs the taskforce $75 per officer. By raising $750, the taskforce can set up a local training for Buchanan and the surrounding area. Church organizers are learning they really can “change the world” through raising awareness of human trafficking.