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TRENTON
- Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa and Division
of Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor
were among the speakers at today’s “Human
Trafficking Awareness Day” event that
aimed to educate the public about the dangers
of human trafficking in recognition of national
“Human Trafficking Awareness Day,”
which is held annually on Jan. 11.
“Human
traffickers do not discriminate,”
Attorney General Chiesa said. “They
will control and exploit anyone they can
manage to victimize. I assure you that combating
this kind of crime, and bringing those who
engage in it to justice, is of vital importance
to me.”
Today’s
event was sponsored by the New Jersey Human
Trafficking Task Force. The Task Force includes
representatives from our Division of Criminal
Justice, the 21 county prosecutors’
offices, the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s
Office, federal Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, DYFS, the state and federal
departments of labor, and a host of non-governmental
agencies and non-profit groups. The Task
Force strives to educate law enforcement
and the community about human trafficking:
how to identify it, how to investigate it
and how to prosecute it.
“Major
roadways like the I-95 corridor, our state’s
airports, such as Newark Liberty and Atlantic
City International Airports and our ports
make access into New Jersey very easy,”
Director Taylor said. “Also, New Jersey
is the most densely populated state in the
country. The demand for cheap labor and
commercial sexual activities is high. It’s
these factors that make the work of the
New Jersey Human Trafficking Task Force
so important.”
Director
Taylor reminded attendees that if anyone
suspects acts of human trafficking they
are urged to call the Anti-Human
Trafficking hotline at 1-877-986-7534.
The hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven
days a week.
In
front of a crowd of approximately 100 people
at the New Jersey Statehouse Annex in Trenton,
Holly Austin Smith, now 33, a human trafficking
survivor originally from Mt. Holly, courageously
told the story of her ordeal at the age
of 14. Speaking about human trafficking
victims, Smith said, “These victims
are not as tough and unreachable as they
appear. These girls and boys still do have
dreams inside of them and they are worth
saving.”
In
addition, students from the Jefferson Township
Middle School in Morris County gave a moving
presentation about their multi-media efforts
to abolish this form of modern-day slavery.
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