Photo Credit Barbara Burns (USANYW)
The Western District of New York Trafficking Task Force, of which the International Institute of Buffalo is part, kicked off a series of training conferences aimed at educating law enforcement, the legal community, and non-government organizations that provide services to victims and survivors of human trafficking.
The conference covered a victim-centered approach to identifying, investigating, and prosecuting trafficking cases and responding to trafficking victims and survivors. Presentations included sex trafficking, labor trafficking, domestic violence, and child trafficking, and services and resources that are available for victims and survivors.
Additional conferences will be held in the coming weeks and months throughout the Western District of New York.
According to a proclamation from President Biden declaring January 2024 as Human Trafficking Prevention Month, more than 27 million people around the world endure the abuse of human trafficking and forced labor, including thousands of people right here in the United States.
The Western District of New York Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Erie County Sheriff’s Office, and International Institute of Buffalo, brings together law enforcement and social and legal service agencies to collaborate on human trafficking cases. The Western District of New York includes the 17 counties: Allegany; Cattaraugus; Chautauqua; Chemung; Erie; Genesee; Livingston; Monroe; Niagara; Ontario; Orleans; Schuyler; Seneca; Steuben; Wayne; Wyoming; and Yates.