Wright to conduct District 35 Community Conversation on human trafficking on August 17 in Chesterfield

INDIANAPOLIS – State Rep. Melanie Wright (D-Yorktown) will be joined by a group of state and local officials at a community meeting on August 17 in Chesterfield to discuss the problems generated by human trafficking across Indiana and the 35th House District she represents.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on August 17 in the Millcreek Civic Center, located at 403 W. Main Street (State Road 32), in Chesterfield.

Joining Wright at the meeting will be Madison County Sheriff Scott Mellinger and Chelsea Shelburne with the Indiana Trafficking Victims Assistance Program (ITVAP), which works to identify and provide comprehensive services to young people under 21 years of age who are victims of trafficking or sexual exploitation.

“I know that most of the attention generated by human trafficking comes around major events that take place in large urban areas—like the Super Bowl and the Indianapolis 500—but these crimes take place anywhere,” Wright said. “However, it has been conclusively demonstrated that interstate highways like I-69 are arteries for trafficking, and these problems are aggravated in areas that have poverty and drug addiction.

“The people who live and work in the 35th House District have shown a strong interest in seeing what can be done to reduce the risks of human trafficking and protect our children,” Wright continued. “I conducted a public meeting on this topic earlier this year, and the interest levels have remained high among my constituents. The meeting in Chesterfield will give folks a chance to talk with experts who can tell us what can be done.”