On Thursday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m., Barbara Amaya will speak at the Canastota Public Library. Amaya is the author of “Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Lost Innocence, Modern Day Slavery and Transformation.”
At the age of 12, Amaya ran away from her rural home and was quickly kidnapped and trafficked, first in Washington, D.C., and then on the streets of New York. Her horrible circumstances lasted for over a decade. Amaya is a sex trade survivor and advocate. Her message of hope and overcoming adversity is an important message for all audiences.
Amaya’s appearance at the library is made possible through the Madison County Youth Bureau and Catholic Charities of Oneida/Madison Counties.
She will be in the area to present at a workshop for professionals dealing with human trafficking, including law enforcement, health and human service providers, social workers, and medical professionals. Children who are exploited and forced to live as migrant workers, domestic servants or prostitutes are victims of human trafficking.
There are safe housing, health, immigration, food, income, employment, legal and interpretive services available to child victims in our county. For help in identifying victims of trafficking and for more information about human trafficking, visit www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking.
The presentation at the library will be held on the second floor and is free to the public. Amaya’s book will be available for purchase at the event. The cost is $19.95.
The Canastota Public Library is a meeting place, a place of community pride and service. The Library has been providing services since 1896.