January 11th is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Charlotte Metropolitan Human Trafficking Task Force (CMHTTF) co-sponsored a one-day event, focusing on training workers and volunteers who provide support services to victims of human trafficking, announced R. Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
January 11th is Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The President also has designated January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
“Human trafficking exploits the most vulnerable members of our society. The perpetrators of this heinous crime are depraved criminals who inflict terrible pain and trauma upon their victims and rob them of their dignity. Even after rescued, victims of human trafficking experience a long and difficult healing process," said U.S. Attorney Murray in making today’s announcement. “I want to thank the members of the task force for partnering with my office to offer this valuable training opportunity to our local service providers. Human trafficking affects all of us. No community is immune from this criminal activity. Working together with our law enforcement partners and community organizations we will continue to raise awareness and educate the public about this terrible crime."
Today’s training was developed by the Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center (OVC TTAC). The objective of the training was the proper implementation of trauma-informed and victim-centered service provision to victims of human trafficking. More than 140 participants from local community organizations received instruction and information in four key areas: 1) understanding trauma-informed and victim-centered approaches when providing services to sex and labor trafficking victims; 2) conducting appropriate and meaningful needs assessments that ensure victim safety and meet ethical standards of care; 3) identifying and utilizing tools, resources, methods, and approaches that consider polyvictimization, trauma recovery, and short- and long-term needs; and 4) understanding gaps in service provision and creating strategies to close those gaps.
In addition to today’s training, the U.S. Attorney’s office, in partnership with the task force, has conducted trainings for law enforcement officers, hospital workers, health care providers, hospitality industry workers, social workers and various community and volunteer groups.
In January 2017, the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s anti-trafficking efforts resulted in a 40-year prison sentence for Kenwaniee Vontorian Tate, following his conviction at trial for sex trafficking of a minor, sex trafficking by fraud, and committing sex trafficking of a minor while being required to register as a sex offender. In April 2017, a Charlotte man, Zerrell Ross Fuentes, his wife, Brianna Leshay Wright, and his mother, Tanya Marie Fuentes were charged with federal sex trafficking offenses for engaging in a conspiracy to sex traffic three minor victims. The case is still pending.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Murray thanked the First Presbyterian Church for hosting today’s event.
For more information on human trafficking and victim services, including a video series and resource guide to raise awareness about human trafficking in the United States, please visit the Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime website at https://ovc.ncjrs.gov/humantrafficking/
If you are the victim of a human trafficking or may have information about a potential trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888. NHTRC is a national, toll-free hotline, with specialists available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year related to potential trafficking victims, suspicious behaviors, and/or locations where trafficking is suspected to occur. To submit a tip to the NHTRC online please visit https://humantraffickinghotline.org/report-trafficking.
You can also contact ICE-Homeland Security Investigations at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or the Charlotte Office of the FBI at 704-672-6100.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
