Rochelle Dalla, professor of child, youth and family studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will present the Nebraska Lecture on April 30. The in-person lecture will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the Nebraska Union Swanson Auditorium, with a Q&A to follow.

The event is free and open to the public. A livestream will be available on the Nebraska Lectures website, https://research.unl.edu/nebraskalectures/.

Dalla will discuss her research on family-facilitated human trafficking, especially in India. Even as sex work passes through generations, none want their own children to enter the commercial sex trade. That is not a desired path – but often a necessary one. Family-based sex trafficking is seen as a means of survival in numerous Dalit (formerly “untouchable”) castes who are discriminated against and marginalized. Dalla says it’s important to focus on the political, economic and social systems that limit family’s options and lay the foundation for family-based sex trafficking.

The Nebraska Lectures are offered twice a year and feature high-profile presentations by distinguished Husker faculty who address topics of broad interest in an engaging, accessible format. Archived videos from each lecture are available on the event website, https://research.unl.edu/nebraskalectures/past-videos/.

The Nebraska Lectures: The Chancellor’s Distinguished Speaker Series is sponsored by the Research Council, Office of the Chancellor, Office of Research and Innovation and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.