Feb_2021_Newsletter

Online conference engages stakeholders in fight against human trafficking The ongoing pandemic pulled the plug on this January’s in-person human trafficking conference, but moving the event online likely resulted in larger audience participation than previous years, organizers say. “We reached more people this year than last,” said Krystal Elliot with the department’s Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) unit. “I would not be surprised if we try the conference online in the future given its expanded reach this year.” CSEC’s free four-day conference attracted an audience of about 650 guests from as far as Great Britain and Australia. Speakers included law enforcement and technology experts who offered tips and tools to recognize when children are being groomed by predators. Survivors shared how they overcame the trauma and pain of their own experiences to move forward. “We took a deeper look at human trafficking and our community partners expressed their appreciation for the variety of topics we offered,” said Karla Byland, regional manager of the CSEC unit. An estimated 500 cases of child trafficking were reported in Riverside County in 2019. When case workers identify victims, they work closely with community partners to connect them to housing, mental health and many other services. “We are empowering parents, guardians and community members with tools to educate and protect at-risk children and youth,”said Charity Douglas, assistant director of Children’s Services.“Thank you to our CSEC team members and partners for keeping such an important issue at the forefront of our conversations and actions.”

FEB 21

Report suspected human trafficking to the 24-hour National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or email help@humantraffickinghotline.org.

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