PACO – December 13, 2022 - General Membership Meeting - Register Today!
PACO Program's Committee has been busy coordinating General Membership meetings which are held monthly via Zoom from 12 Noon-1:00 p.m. We are excited to welcome Vanessa Perkins, Workforce Development Manager, with Freedom a la Cart to present on the topic of "What Freedom a la Cart is, sex trafficking awareness, and how the legal community can get involved".
Date: Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Time: 12:00 Noon – 1:00 p.m.
Place: Zoom Meeting (to be provided)
For many years, Vanessa experienced repeated interactions with the criminal justice system while she was trapped within the dark world of sex trafficking in Columbus, Ohio. Following her last arrest in 2009, Vanessa opted into CATCH Court, a specialized docket for survivors of sexual exploitation and trafficking, where she was able to focus on her own healing and recovery and begin her journey of personal freedom and economic independence.
In 2011, Vanessa re-entered the workforce through a nonprofit social enterprise called Freedom a la Cart, where she was able to develop practical skills that would equip her to begin her career. In 2013, she was hired by the Columbus City Attorney’s Office and began working as a colleague with the prosecutors who had previously argued to send her to jail. In 2018, Vanessa re-engaged with CATCH Court as Bailiff to the Honorable Judge Paul Herbert who presided over the restorative justice docket; and in 2021, she returned full circle to Freedom a la Cart to serve in her current role as manager of its growing workforce development program for survivors.
Vanessa has educated thousands of people on the subject of sex trafficking and trauma, presenting at conferences such as the End Violence Against Women International conference, the National Association of Drug Court Professionals national conference, the International Human Trafficking & Social Justice Conference, and most recently, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C.
Today, Vanessa continues her work as a survivor leader, educator, speaker and advocate in the movement to eradicate human trafficking with a passion to bring hope and healing to survivors.
