Westchester Community NewsMt. Kisco, NY - A coalition of social service providers, community agencies and local law enforcement are pleased to announce a free training, “Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery: Tools for an Effective Response” on November 12, 2009 from 8:30am to 5:00pm at the Holiday Inn in Mount Kisco, NY.
Co-sponsors include The Freedom Network USA, The Junior League of Northern Westchester, International Organization for Adolescents (IOFA), My Sister’s Place, New York State Office of Temporary Disability Assistance (OTDA), The Pound Ridge Police Department, The Police Benevolence Association of Pound Ridge (PBA) and the Town of Pound Ridge.
“All of us are repulsed by the idea of trafficking in human beings, a form of modern day slavery. Yet few in the United States are aware of the size and scope of this global problem. Even fewer realize that human trafficking is rampant in our cities and towns across the United States, including Northern Westchester,” says Alison Boak, a resident of Pound Ridge and co-founder of the Freedom Network USA and the IOFA.
Human trafficking consists of heinous acts that revolve around forced labor and marriages and despicable extraction and sale of human body parts as well as sexual exploitation. UN figures estimate 2.5 million people are trafficked annually from over 127 countries. Even worse, 1.2 million of them are children often sold into prostitution. Human trafficking is a big business generating between $5 and $7 billion annually. Abolishing human trafficking is one of the greatest challenges facing the global community in the 21st century and ignoring it will foster crimes against humanity.
According to Chief Ryan of the Pound Ridge Police Department, “This practical training will be offered by the nation’s leading anti-trafficking experts to first responders, those best positioned to identify potential victims of human trafficking, including local law enforcement, hospital and clinic staff, volunteer ambulance corps members and social service providers, especially those working to assist the day laborer population in Northern Westchester.”
“It’s important for local community groups that directly serve the public as well as government and law enforcement officials to make attending this training a priority,” says Kiersten Marich, President of the Junior League of Northern Westchester. This all day training, thanks to funding by the Freedom Network Training Institute, will provide participants with practical knowledge on human trafficking, as defined by both US and New York State law including victim identification and referral.
For additional information on Training on Human Trafficking – Modern Day Slavery, contact Caroline Meyers at cmeyer@townofpoundridge.com This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or 914-764-4206. To register on line or to download a registration form, please visit www.jlnw.org and click on the Freedom Network icon.
The Junior League of Northern Westchester (JLNW) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The Junior League of Northern Westchester reaches out to women of all races, religions and national origins who demonstrate an interest in, and commitment to, voluntarism.
http://www.westchester.com/Westchester_News/Community/Training_On_Human_Trafficking_2009102712252.html
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