Jan. 22, 2016: BHTC Jumorrow Johnson and Dr. Heidi Schaeffer sharing HT trends and indicators at the Freedom Challenge in Ft. Lauderdale.

Jumorrow Johnson presenting at the "Flipping the Script" event held at the Fort Lauderdale Rotary

Just a few photos from our Jan. 2, 2016 fundraiser. We showed the film Tricked and had a great panel session afterwards. We also hosted other area organizations. We really enjoyed networking and sharing information with everything. Thank you for coming out!

Jan. 20, 2016: BHTC team with the Mayor and Commissioners of the City of Hollywood celebrating their Proclamation for January Human Trafficking Awareness month.

The Children's Services Council of Broward County, The Rotary Club of Fort Lauderdale, Broward Human Trafficking Coalition — with Jumorrow Johnson, Tabitha, Andrew, Lee Anne LeBlanc and Denise Caligiuri.

NEWS

​Raising awareness of serious issues  Staff photo by Anna Collins
Participants take part in the "Stop the Traffick" march in Lauderhill.
By Randy Abraham Special Correspondent

sun-sentinel.com|By South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Crime
Child Abuse
Fort Lauderdale High School
March aims to combat child abuse and human trafficking

A group of 150 students, their families and supporters recently took a stand against child abuse and human trafficking by participating in a "Stop the Traffick" march.

The group was joined at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill by officials from law enforcement, criminal justice and social service agencies, who urged the public to report any suspected incidents

Luisa Milton, a Fort Lauderdale High School sophomore, conceived of the march as part of a school project and enlisted several classmates to organize it. She was inspired by her older sister, who witnessed widespread human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children while working as a missionary in Cambodia.

"My sister saw instances of girls being forced to sell and prostitute themselves, and Broward County is among the top locations for human trafficking in Florida," she said. "Many people are unaware that this happens here, and I feel it's important to take an active role against human trafficking."

Jumorrow Johnson, an officer with the Broward Human Trafficking Coalition, said many would be surprised to learn the nature of many victims, with many coming from intact families.

"They are no longer just going after kids on the street, but also children with much more to lose," said Johnson, a victim advocate and juvenile counselor with the Plantation Police Department. "They'll go anywhere they see a large population of young girls — malls, schools, churches are recruiting grounds for them."

Mandy Wells, director of the county's Community Partnerships Division, said the event was important in raising awareness.

"If you need assistance, there are people and resources here to help," said Wells, adding that 15,000 allegations of child abuse were made in Broward last year. "It doesn't happen to any one particular group; it cuts across racial and socio-economic lines, and it takes the involvement of a lot of perspectives to make a change. It was a very powerful and inspiring event, and I felt inspired by the leadership qualities of the students."

STOP THE TRAFFICK WALK!!!

Adriane Reesey, PhD and Heidi Schaefer, M.D.!!!!

​On January 28, 2015 the House passed a package of bills in our bipartisan effort to deal a serious blow to the pernicious industry of human trafficking. One of the bills that passed was a measure written by Congresswomen Renee Ellmers and Debbie Wasserman Schultz to better train health workers to recognize the signs of human trafficking when patients come to the hospital or clinic. Here's a short video about the bill:

Working with Nova University Health Educators Against Trafficking!

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

by Alejandro Mayorkas
Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security

While we would like to think of slavery as a relic of the past, we know that it is not. Today, millions of women, men, and children around the world are subjected to forced labor, domestic servitude, or the sex trade at the hands of human traffickers. What many do not know is that this crime occurs right here in the United States, in our own cities and towns.

By Presidential proclamation, January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Sunday, January 11 was Human Trafficking Awareness Day. These powerful reminders that slavery endures in the United States compel us to work together to end human trafficking.

We as a Department do so much in the fight against human trafficking. We fight through law enforcement investigations, collaborations, and training; through public outreach and awareness; and through assistance for victims. We coordinate these efforts through the Blue Campaign, the Department’s unified voice to combat human trafficking.

I encourage you to watch this video:to learn more about the work of the Blue Campaign, and how you can get involved in the fight against human trafficking.

The Blue Campaign recently launched a new, re-designed website with information and resources for federal, state, and local governments, non-governmental organizations, first responders, and the public.

All of us can increase our awareness of the crime of human trafficking so that each of us can be more vigilant where we live and work. Human trafficking is, after all, a tragedy that occurs not only internationally but also within our own borders and inside our own communities.

Let us renew our commitment to fight human trafficking, and let us do it together.

You are subscribed to Anti-Human Trafficking Resources for U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This information has recently been updated.

Read this article online and watch video at: http://www.dhs.gov/blog/2015/01/20/national-slavery-and-human-trafficking-prevention-month

Back row (left to right) : Vice Mayor Patricia Asseff, Commissioner Traci Callari, Mayor Peter Bober, Commissioner Peter Hernandez, Commissioner Richard Blattner, Commissioner Kevin Biederman

Front row (left to right): William Viteri, Nancy Fowler, Katrina Hernandez, Heidi Schaeffer, Jumorrow Johnson, Nelson Bogren, Sylvie Major, Sarah Gillespie Cummings

On January 7, 2015, Mayor Bober of the City of Hollywood issued a proclamation against Human Trafficking and designated January 11 of each year as Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The Mayor presented the proclamation to Heidi Schaeffer, MD and to the board members of BHTC.   Mayor Bober is the only Broward County mayor to present a 2015 HT Awareness Day proclamation to the coalition.  The City of Hollywood now joins a list of cities across the U. S. who have issued January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the signs and consequences of human trafficking and promoting opposition to human trafficking in all of its forms. The passage of these proclamations has helped to educate local community officials about the issue and engaged them in the fight against modern day slavery in their communities and to put an end to this criminal activity and restore freedom and dignity to survivors.
​ At the City Commission Meeting, Mayor Bober recognized the BHTC board members, Heidi Schaeffer, MD, Nelson Bogren, Sylvie Major, Jumorrow Johnson as well as Sarah Gillespie Cummings with the STARS committee and Special Agents Katrina Hernandez and William Viteri with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and SFHTTF (South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force) All this was made possible thanks to BHTC's community member Nancy Fowler's hard work, persistence and dedication to this cause.

Mayor Bober and the City of Hollywood Commission Proclaim January 11, 2015
Human Trafficking Awareness Day