Since 2010, every January has been dedicated as a month to raise awareness about human trafficking, and to raise awareness about how to identify and prevent this crime. During this month, we celebrate the efforts of our REACH and Child Advocacy Centers' important work with local law enforcement, justice system, and social services in preventing, investigating, and prosecuting these cases, while providing immense support for the survivors.
Human Trafficking Awareness
Human Trafficking and Exploitation happens all around us, not just in big cities. Whether it be sex trafficking, forced labor, or domestic servitude, it can, and does, happen to people of all ages, races, and genders. Hollywood drama typically paints a picture of kidnappings and immigrants held in captivity, along with many other myths and misconceptions.
The reality is traffickers more often build relationships and trust with their victims to manipulate and coerce them into trafficking situations.
There are estimated to be more than 27.6 million people — adults and children — subjected to human trafficking around the world, including cases right here in Columbia and Greene Counties.
One of the biggest ways traffickers are exploiting others, especially youth, is by building trust and grooming. It can be in person by someone you know, or through the use of online social media and gaming platforms. It happens slowly, over time, and often doesn't seem wrong at the start. This is why online safety and prevention education in the community is an important aspect of combatting this crime.
Professional Development & Learning
Staying informed to recognize concerns like grooming, warning signs, and online safety practices can be an important preventative measure everyone can take. Parents can benefit for protecting their children, as well as teachers and caregivers can play an important role such as observing potential warning signs.
For the Multi-Disciplinary Teams involved in these cases, it is vital to be aware of not only common trends and applications, but also how to respond. The ways that professionals involved in a case respond, intervene, and aid at various points of the investigation can make a huge difference in the handling, treatment, and possible prosecution involved in these cases.
Through funding and support from the NYS Office of Children and Families (OCFS), our local Safe Harbour Program, MHACG's REACH and Child Advocacy Centers honored January Human Trafficking Awareness Month by hosting a Safe Harbour Professional Development Day. This free training and education session supplied the Multi-Disciplinary Teams and professional partners in the community with important information on Human Trafficking.
"We are excited to continue offering trainings and presentations that spread awareness and keeps our partners up to date with the most recent trends. As we celebrate our 6th year with the Safe Harbour Program, we are grateful for the support of our MDT and REACH/CAC Team. Through Safe Harbour, we've provided countless direct services to at-risk youth, and we look forward to continuing to enhance community collaboration in keeping youth safe."
- Renielle Yankana-Tracey
Program Director & Safe Harbour Coordinator, Child Advocacy & REACH Centers
The training day included presentations from multiple distinguished professionals working every day for child advocacy and human trafficking treatment and prevention. The topics presented were:
Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) - Online Exploitation Trends, presented by Investigator Miftari and Analyst Cristina Fernandez
Medicals at the Child Advocacy Center, presented by Nancy Harris, NP-C, NYSAFE, SANE-A, SANE-P with St. Peter's Health Partners
Human Trafficking: Our Hometown Kids - presented by John Kelly, Statewide Multi-Disciplinary Team Director for the New York State Children's Alliance (NYSCA)
Homeland Security at a Glance: A Comprehensive Overview of HSS - presented by Special Agent Daria Egan with Homeland Security.
The training day was made possible with the support of Dan Almasi, Columbia County Director of Community Services, and county Department of Social Services (DSS), and was well received by all participants for their diverse representation and engagement.
"We are thrilled with the success of our recent training in collaboration with our Safe Harbour program. With a strong turnout, participants gained valuable insights into the online exploitation of minors and the critical role of Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) members in supporting investigations."
- Sherri Downes Program Director, REACH & Child Advocacy Centers
Resources for Child Advocacy & Human Trafficking:
Acknowledgements
We are very thankful to the support provided by all of our presenters, MDTs, and professional partners for making this event possible and a success. MHACG also recognizes the incredible work of our REACH & Child Advocacy Center teams in putting together this service for the community. Thank you to everyone who attended and provided such wonderful feedback. We hope everyone enjoyed and learned from this experience.
About MHACG
MHA of Columbia Greene is a leading mental health nonprofit serving the twin counties of Columbia and Greene. We believe mental health is health, and we envision a world where it is treated with the same importance as physical health. Our mission to advance mental health as a critical part of the overall health and wellbeing of our communities, and we strive to provide hope, healing, and empowerment. Since 1958, MHACG has been a beacon of hope offering mental health recovery, peer support, education, family support, housing solutions, substance use recovery programs, and advocating for survivors of assault, abuse, child abuse and trafficking. We are your bridge to wellbeing, connecting individuals, children, and families with care. To learn more about MHA of Columbia Greene, visit mhacg.org.