The Navajo Nation held a two-day symposium to address child sex trafficking in Tribal communities. The training, entitled “Responding to Child Sex Trafficking & Exploitation in Tribal Communities,” was held May 30-31, 2019, in Shiprock, New Mexico.
Provided by the AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP), the training emphasized group collaboration, planning and implementation of awareness projects to keep Tribal communities and children safe. Participants discussed specific threats and warning signs of sex trafficking involving indigenous children.
The symposium was a homecoming for Tyesha Bahe-Wood, a presenter and then-associate with the AMBER Alert in Indian Country initiative. She’s a Navajo member from Window Rock, Arizona, and attended Navajo Preparatory School in Farmington, New Mexico, 30 minutes east of Shiprock.
“It is uplifting to know that Tribal communities, and my community in particular, are taking initiative to become more aware of the threats of sex trafficking,” said Bahe-Wood. “We work together as a group because we are all part of a family protecting our children.”
Bahe-Wood and AATTAP Program Manager Byron Fassett were given protection beads made by an 8-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl. The beads are made from dried juniper and are also called “ghost beads.”
“As a non-tribal person, this not only allowed myself and Tyesha to provide our knowledge on the crime of sex trafficking, but also provided me with the opportunity to learn more about its impact on Tribal communities,” said Fassett.
The class also presented Bahe-Wood with a three-pound bag of Cortez Bluebird flour, something she said is an “essential item in a Navajo household.” Bahe-Wood was recently promoted to a project coordinator with AATTAP.