Winona Store to Benefit Victims of Sex Trafficking

WINONA, Minn. (AP) - A Minnesota woman who plans to sell jewelry and other items handmade by women rescued from the sex-trafficking industry is opening her store in Winona this weekend.

A report says Set Me Free will sell jewelry, scarves, purses and skirts. The money will help the women, who are overseas, get counseling and education.

Dannielle Rothering is a former sexual-abuse counselor for the Pentagon. She says she was compelled to act after she saw a poster last year stating that 27 million people are enslaved in the human-trafficking industry.

She's planning a grand opening Sunday in the back of Awakenings Coffeehouse, which she co-owns with her husband.

She says she's travelled abroad and met some of the victims the shop will help. She says one was a 5-year-old girl.