Experts from Dawn’s Place will address local sex trafficking issues and the services they provide to help women heal from the trauma of sexual exploitation on October 2. The program begins at 1:30 p.m. in the Meagher Theatre.
Since 2009, Dawn’s Place has provided direct services to women recovering from sex trafficking. Its year-long, residential program combines intensive therapy with a personalized recovery plan so that adult survivors have the opportunity to become self-supporting and live independently.
Speakers include Sr. Meaghan Patterson, SSJ, the executive director of the organization, and Ann Marie Jones, the home’s residential coordinator.
Patterson holds a master's degree in multicultural education from Eastern University and a master's in social work from Fordham University. Jones, a former resident of Dawn’s Place, has developed a twelve-step recovery process for victims.
The organization offers on-site therapy, access to off-site programs, a staff case manager, access to pro bono legal aid, aftercare services to gain permanent housing, and more.
The program provides a local perspective on an issue that has been in the national news for months because of the political debate about whether to release the Epstein files (documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein) and the October 21 release of Nobody’s Girl, the memoir of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims, who committed suicide in April of 2025.
The event is sponsored by the Cultural Arts Forum, which hosts lecture series, workshops, and author presentations to enrich the educational experiences of the university and the community.