U.S. Department
of Justice
North Carolina U.S. Attorney Offices Co-Sponsor Human Trafficking Symposium September 12-13, 2013 In Raleigh
RALEIGH - United States Attorneys Thomas G. Walker, Ripley Rand, and Anne M. Tompkins announced that their three Offices are co-sponsoring a Human Trafficking Symposium September 12-13, 2013 at the Double Tree by Hilton Brownstone in Raleigh. Preventing and prosecuting Human Trafficking cases is a priority of the U.S. Department of Justice and the training is designed to bring together law enforcement and service providers to educate them about this heinous crime that plagues our nation.
Human Trafficking is called the modern day slavery in the United States. There is a great need to educate law enforcement personnel about how to identify and investigate these cases. There is also a need to educate service providers and law enforcement about the methods to reduce the barriers of bringing a human trafficking case to federal court for prosecution and help eliminate the obstacles victims face when seeking services. Additionally, there is a need to educate our state and local partners about the federal tools available to prosecute these crimes.
“One of the Department of Justice’s priorities is protecting vulnerable victims and holding offenders accountable, and North Carolina’s United States Attorney’s Offices are committed to working together with law enforcement and other groups to fight human trafficking,” said United States Attorney Rand.
“Human trafficking is a national epidemic and it is also happening here, in our own communities, with many of the victims and perpetrators hiding in plain sight. Over the past two years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina has played an active role in raising public awareness, increasing law enforcement training and establishing partnerships with victim service providers in Western Carolina. This symposium is a continuation of our efforts to create and maintain these strong partnerships, which can be force multipliers in our fight against this form of modern day slavery,” said U.S. Attorney Tompkins.
“This event is an excellent example of the vital collaboration needed between the law enforcement and the service provider community. Efforts to confront human trafficking must include an increased awareness of the indicators of this crime by those who are most likely to encounter the victims,” said U.S. Attorney Walker.
The Symposium is also being co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the North Carolina Justice Academy, the Carolinas Institute for Community Policing, and the North Carolina Victim Assistance Network.