Women in Technology of Tennessee is holding an event this weekend aimed at using data for good.
The organization has partnered with human trafficking prevention group Engage Together to host WiTT Hacks — a data hackathon to be held April 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Belmont University, according to a news release.
Participants will use data from Engage Together to identify where in Tennessee people are most vulnerable to human trafficking, according to the release, so that programs and services can be developed to prevent the crime. As of 2020, human trafficking was the second-fastest growing crime in Tennessee, behind only the drug trade.
“WiTT is thrilled to partner with Belmont and Engage Together and for this opportunity to use data for good,” WiTT President Amy Harris said in the release. “WiTT Hacks is our first-ever majority-female hackathon. … The event allows these young women to hone their tech skills while discovering insights that will hopefully save other women and men from human trafficking.”
Founded in 1999, WiTT is designed to promote women in technology through education and networking events, outreach opportunities and scholarship and internship programs.
The hackathon will operate out of the Janet Ayers Academic Center, conference rooms C and D, according to the release.
“Human trafficking is a complex issue that requires comprehensive strategies. And those strategies must be based on data insights drilled all the way down to every local community where human trafficking exists — or else we are simply guessing,” Engage Together President and CEO Ashleigh Chapman said in the release. “This hackathon project with WiTT and Belmont’s Data Collaborative will get us so much closer to the answers we need to prevent this level of exploitation of our most vulnerable citizens across Tennessee.”
