PLATTSBURGH — The Interfaith Council of Plattsburgh and Clinton County will be hosting its second annual event on human trafficking and sexual exploitation as part of the “Blue Campaign,” from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 26, in the Emmaus Room, St. Peter’s Church, 114 Cornelia St., Plattsburgh.
The Department of Homeland Security, sponsor of the Blue Campaign, notes:
Through the Blue Campaign, DHS raises public awareness about human trafficking, working with organizations and making awareness-raising resources available to educate the public to recognize human trafficking and report suspected instances.
“That’s an annual campaign that the Department of Homeland Security has been holding for years in January to actually raise awareness of human trafficking and sex exploitation in the United States. Last year was the first year that the Interfaith Council held an event around the Blue Campaign. This year, we decided to align our event with the Blue Campaign and hold it in January,” Bonnie Black, president of the Interfaith Council of Plattsburgh and Clinton County, said.
DHS Resident Agent in Charge, Trevor Waite, will present “Human Trafficking 101 from the Law Enforcement Perspective,” an overview and will be welcoming questions throughout his talk.
DHS is responsible for investigating human trafficking crimes, arresting traffickers, and protecting victims. DHS also provides immigration relief to non-U.S. citizen victims of human trafficking. DHS utilizes a victim-centered approach to combat human trafficking, which places equal value on identifying and stabilizing victims and on investigating and prosecuting traffickers. Victims are crucial to investigations and prosecutions; each case and every conviction changes lives.
For those who think this doesn’t happen here, think again.
“Oh, we do. We do. We have human trafficking here as do most states along either border as well as other states in the United States. We are a border state, especially in Clinton County, because we have a lot of transient people. When you have transiency, homelessness, etc., you got that vulnerable population, which is used in human trafficking and sexual exploitation,” Black said.
Last year, the Interfaith Council focused on sexual exploitation via computer and how adolescents are targeted by predators.
“This year, we actually have the Resident in Charge at the Department of Homeland Security right here in Plattsburgh, Trevor,” Black said.
“He is going to be with us and give us the basics on human trafficking, what we see here, and what we as individuals can do to be alert to see something in order to say something. For us at the Interfaith Council, it truly is a social justice issue and that’s why we have chosen to focus the last couple of years on human trafficking and sexual exploitation.”
DHS understands how difficult it can be for victims to come forward and work with law enforcement due to their trauma, the agency said. DHS is committed to helping victims feel stable, safe, and secure. A person’s status doesn’t impede the assistance DHS can provide.
“Locally, STOP Domestic Violence has worked for a number of years with women and children who have been exploited and trafficked. It’s really nothing new, but it is something that we as concerned human beings need to be aware of and figure out what we can do individually, and of course as faith congregations, too, what we can do to heighten awareness and reduce the number of cases,” Black said.
Materials will be available for individuals and organizations to distribute. Coffee will be provided, but please bring water bottles if preferred.