Almost a year ago, a raid at Orchids of Asia, a massage parlor in south Florida, caught our attention.   Recently, area massage parlors have been raided as part of ongoing police investigations.  Do you wonder: Are people being forced into this life? Or is this a life they choose?  Would legalizing prostitution make things better for all involved? How is the issue of prostitution and its demand being addressed locally and within the state of Massachusetts? 

Join the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable for a panel presentation and discussion on “Sexual Exploitation: It’s Happening In Our Communities. The program will be take place on Tuesday, January 14, 2020, at 3 PM in the Community Meeting Room of the Wayland Public Safety Building located at 38 Cochituate Road in Wayland. Additional parking is available at the Wayland Public Library and the Wayland Depot. The program is free and open to the public.

Guest panelists will include Peter Qualliotine. Peter is the co-founder of the Seattle-based Organization for Prostitution Survivors (OPS). As OPS’ Director of Men’s Accountability, he launched the 10-week sex buyers intervention program.  Presently, through the Boston based EVA Center, Peter coordinates Modeling Equality, a project to catalyze the creation and implementation of policies and practices across multiple sectors that address commercial sexual exploitation.

Panelists will also include an advocate from RIA House which is a local program that stands with and supports women with experience in the commercial sex trade, and its associated exploitation, trafficking and prostitution, by providing a range of community-based services.

The remaining panelists will be community members who knew something wasn’t right and explored ways to deal with what was happening in their community.

To learn more about the Domestic Violence Roundtable, please visit the website at https://www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org or follow the Roundtable on Facebook.