Everyday there are Human Trafficking, Anti-Human Trafficking headlines, some putting the traffickers away and some caring for the victims/survivors. A few samples are below:

THANKS to everyone who is in the fight, keep going!!!

Ed

2023 Trafficking in Persons Report

On June 15, the U.S. State Department released the 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report. This report provides a comprehensive, objective assessment of 188 countries and territories – including the United States. Its purpose is to showcase successful efforts to prevent trafficking, to identify areas where countries are falling short and have more work to do, and ultimately to eliminate trafficking altogether. In his remarks Secretary Blinken stated that, “The report also highlights a number of concerning trends.”

• The first is the continued expansion of forced labor.  Exploitative employers used a host of tactics to take advantage of lower-paid and more vulnerable workers.
• The second is the rise in labor trafficking using online scams, which have proliferated as more of the world gains access to the internet.  Traffickers capitalized on widespread unemployment to recruit victims with fake job listings and then forced them to run international scams.
• Third, the report exposes the risks facing an often-overlooked segment of trafficking victims: boys and young men.  According to a recent report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, between 2004 and 2020 the percentage of boys identified as victims of human trafficking rose five-fold.

The 90 page summary of the TIP report can be obtained at  Download the 2023 Report) the entire report, over 600 pages, will become available soon.

Life Crisis Center Regional Navigator Announcement

Life Crisis Center has announced Danielle Thomas, Ed.D., as the Child Sex Trafficking Regional Navigator for Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore (Wicomico, Worcester, and Somerset Counties). The Regional Navigator helps connect youth and young adults (age 24 and under) who are suspected or identified victims of sex trafficking, with basic needs support, connection, and other resources that promote safety, self-sufficiency, and well-being. The Navigator helps coordinate community-based services through local agencies and organizations.   

Dr. Thomas completed her Doctoral Degree in Traumatology where she focused her dissertation research on the resources available to survivors of child sex trafficking in nonmetropolitan communities. Additionally, she holds a Master’s Degree in Addiction and Recovery Counseling. Danielle has previously worked as a Crisis Clinician for children and adolescents in Southern Delaware. Most recently, she worked for Worcester County’s CRICKET Center, where she helped provide outreach and education on child abuse. 

“I am thrilled to be part of the team at Life Crisis Center and help build this program. Crimes of human trafficking live quietly within each of our communities, and I believe that through prevention, awareness, and outreach, we can begin to eradicate child sexual exploitation. I am looking forward to working closely with ESHTTF to spread awareness throughout Maryland’s Lower Shore.”

The Regional Navigator is available to community members for outreach events, presentations, and trainings. You can contact Dr. Thomas directly at dthomas@lifecrisiscenter.org

Harriet’s House receives Helping People Award

“Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot presented an award to Dorchester-based anti-human-trafficking organization Harriet’s House on Wednesday at the group’s drop-in center in Cambridge.”