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October 10, 2018

Executive Directors of Global Centurion and Feminists Choosing Life of New York Present at Roberts Wesleyan as part of NYS Lecture Series

Discussion around sex trafficking, female poverty and feminism open to public

Roberts Wesleyan College will host a symposium on Friday, Oct. 19, titled “The Quest for Equality: Sex Trafficking, Female Poverty and Feminism.” The lecture will be led by Laura Lederer, executive director of Global Centurion, and Michele Sterlace-Accorsi, executive director of Feminists Choosing Life of New York. The two not-for-profits raise public awareness about feminist topics, including the persistent issue of female poverty. The presentation is part of a lecture series hosted by Lederer and Sterlace-Accorsi at colleges and universities throughout New York.

The event, organized by Roberts Wesleyan College’s Department of Social Work and F.R.E.E. student group, provides a general outline of the nature and scope of human trafficking in the United States. It addresses federal and New York state laws that apply to sex trafficking and the health consequences of sex trafficking on women, including coerced abortion, as well as how federal, state and private-sector policy and practices can better address human trafficking. It also explores the phenomenon of sex trafficking within the contours of modern feminism and human rights.

Lederer is one of the world’s premier experts in human trafficking. She serves as a subject-matter expert in human trafficking for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Office on Trafficking in Persons and Family Youth Services Bureau. From 2001 to 2009, she served as senior advisor on trafficking in persons in the U.S. Department of State. She also served as executive director of the Senior Policy Operating Group on trafficking in persons, a high-level policy group that staffed the president’s cabinet-level Interagency Task Force on trafficking in persons. Her book, “Modern Slavery: A Documentary and Reference Guide,” examines primary source materials to track the development of the 21st century anti-trafficking movement.

Sterlace-Accorsi graduated magna cum laude from New York University. Her childhood experiences with familial poverty inspired her to advocate for vulnerable populations. She completed her Juris Doctor from the University at Buffalo School of Law and her Master of Laws from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine School of Law.

The lecture will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in Lake Auditorium of Smith Hall on the Roberts Wesleyan campus. Immediately following, a Q&A session with Lederer and Sterlace-Accorsi will take place in the Ellen Stowe Roberts Dining Room in Garlock Dining Commons.

The lecture is open to the public. Registration is not required. If interested in attending the dinner and Q&A, RSVP to Meg Richards at richards_megan@roberts.edu.


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