HUMAN TRAFFICKING: THE BEAT GOES ON

January 11 is Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Some mayors have declared January Human Trafficking Month. While our general meeting in November 2013 educated and informed our section of the scope of this modern-day slavery, we nowreport that nothing has changed.

Some facts:

• One in three human trafficking victims is a child
• Most victims are female
• The average age of a victim is 12 years old
• 100,000 children under the age of 18 are trafficked into the sex trade in the U.S. every year
• From 2005 through 2013, 179 cases were prosecuted in N.J.; there were no convictions
• HT is a $35 BILLION industry
• HT is the fastest growing crime in the world

Bergen County Section would like every mayor in Bergen County to sign a proclamation acknowledging January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month. We began this process last year and are now approaching the mayors who have not yet signed. We have been represented at HT meetings in Trenton to learn what schools are doing to provide educational classes on HT for their students. The 2014 Super Bowl has come and gone from N.J., but HT goes on. BCS is continuing its fight to eliminate HT in our communities. If you are interested in participating in this ongoing initiative, please contact Bea Podorefsky at grambea@aol.com or 201-837-3179.