The Zonta Club of Austin and the Austin Human Rights Commission will host a free screening of a film on human trafficking at 6:30 p.m. on May 28 at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center. With everything going on in society, the organizers hope to raise awareness to this topic. The film contains adult content and is not recommended for children.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation ranks Minnesota as the 13th highest state for sex trafficking of minors. Albert Lea is in an area from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center that receives a heavy volume of calls, including Minneapolis-St. Paul, Mankato and Rochester.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs Diagnostic Center partnered with the Albert Lea Police Department to find out more about the potential for sex trafficking in Albert Lea, to learn how to train officers how to recognize it and to educate the community. The study was released last August.

Sex trafficking is facilitated by accessible transportation routes, and with the intersection of Interstate 90 and Interstate 35, Albert Lea sees about 19 million vehicles travel through the city annually, according to an analysis of traffic volume from 2004, the report states.