Countryside Christian Academy Issues Proclamation Declaring Itself a TraffickingFree Zone™
Countryside Christian Academy joins forces with the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking to combat sex trafficking
CLEARWATER, Fla., June 19, 2019 — Countryside Christian Academy today issued a proclamation declaring itself a TraffickingFree Zone in collaboration with the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking (USIAHT).
Countryside Christian Academy strives to educate students in academic excellence, biblical principles and integrity. And, to develop the whole child intellectually, emotionally, socially, physically, and spiritually in a loving, safe environment.
“We cannot stress enough how important it is to have our schools involved in combating sex trafficking. We are so grateful to have Countryside Christian Academy take a stand by committing to not tolerate this injustice,” said Geoff Rogers, co-founder and CEO of the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking. “Our TraffickingFree Zone program is a set of proven practices from across the nation that pull all sectors of society together to fight demand and combat sex trafficking within a community, and we are confident Countryside Christian Academy will benefit from these practices.”
The TraffickingFree Zone program is an integrated approach to ending sex trafficking in a city or
community through multi-sector partnership involving law enforcement, government, businesses,
schools and community-based organizations.
“Since opening our doors in 2000, the heart of our leadership has been to establish a godly foundation for young people,” said Crystal Mascaro, principal of Countryside Christian Academy. “Our partnership with the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking in rolling out a TraffickingFree Zone program completely aligns with the core principles of Countryside Christian Academy. We are excited to make a difference in this fight together.”
County by county, the TraffickingFree Zone program focuses on arresting and prosecuting sex buyers instead of those who are being sold, educating community members on sex trafficking and
implementing numerous other demand-reduction techniques.
“We are excited about this partnership and the stance that Countryside Christian Academy is taking
against sex trafficking,” said Micah Washinski, Pinellas County TraffickingFree Zone program manager at the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking. “We look forward to working together in putting an end to human trafficking across the state of Florida.”
Florida consistently ranks third in the nation for the number of calls made to the National Human
Trafficking Hotline. TraffickingFree Zones have already been implemented across Florida in Pasco
County, Pinellas County and the Cities of , New Port Richey, Dade City, Temple Terrace and Clearwater.
To learn more about the TraffickingFree Zone program and how you can bring it to your community, visit https://traffickingfreezone.com.
About USIAHT
The U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking (USIAHT) is a faith-based, non-profit organization fighting human trafficking in America. We work to prevent trafficking by combating demand in new and innovative ways, raising awareness, influencing policy, educating our youth and disrupting trafficking activities. We seek to rescue and rehabilitate victims by collaborating with organizations that are expert at rescuing abducted youth currently engaged in the sex trade. We also collaborate with federal, state and local government officials. With offices in Tampa, Washington DC, Austin, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, we are addressing the national problem and also providing on-the-ground services. To learn more, go to https://usiaht.org.
