VALLEY AGAINST SEX TRAFFICKING DISCUSSION


 
 
 
An Important Topic - For East Valley Businesses and Residents  
 
As a valued leader in the East Valley we are inviting you to learn more about steps our local law enforcement are making to counteract the crimes associated with sex trafficking.

We want to receive your input as we discuss how our public safety personnel are working on our community's behalf to lead the fight against sex trafficking in our neighborhoods. Armed with this information and a strategy to combat those who prey on our most vulnerable, we believe you will find the time informative as local law enforcement and advocates inform us of their developing strategies to keep our cities safe.

As V.A.S.T. embarks on their mission to join forces with business, community and public safety leaders in taking a stand against the fastest growing criminal enterprise in our state, we hope you come to recognize how crucial your support is in eliminating the national plague of sex trafficking.
 
 
"I am Jane Doe" Trailer
 

Our Speakers for the Afternoon Will Include: 
 
Attorney Erik Bauer 
Backpage.com settled thanks to our guest speaker Mr. Erik Bauer!
A Trial Attorney with 30 years of experience practicing out of his home base in Tacoma, Washington, has tried a variety of cases in State and Federal Courts, ranging from death penalty murder cases to personal injury claims.  His early career was primarily felony defense work.  Recently, he has focused on representing abused children, and adults who were abused as children, in successful lawsuits against the perpetrators and other responsible entities.

Currently, Mr. Bauer is highly focused on several cases involving minor plaintiffs in lawsuits against Backpage.com, a website devoted to human sex trafficking advertisements. He is the only attorney to have successfully defeated Backpage claims that a Federal Immunity Statute (CDA § 230) prevents minors from suing Backpage.  Because of Mr. Bauer's efforts, his minor trafficked clients are able to seek monetary damages.  
 
Francheska Loza of Polaris
Francheska Loza is a Community Organizer for the Disruption Strategies Team at Polaris. She leads initiatives that identify, engage, and equip key stakeholder populations to help facilitate the effective and systemic eradication of the different types of trafficking in the United States. She was introduced to the Counter Human Trafficking field during her time at the Chilean Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Security, where she worked on a police protocol for best practices in encounters with human trafficking victims and was part of an inter-agency task force created to address the issue of human trafficking in the country.  
 
Prior to joining Polaris, Francheska worked in the International Litigation and Arbitration Department of Foley Hoag LLP for two years, as part of a team that represented sovereign states in Latin America, Africa and Asia. During that time she also worked on Pro Bono asylum cases involving victims of domestic and gang-related violence from Latin American.   
 
Additionally, Francheska worked as a Spanish translator and interpreter for 4 years, and was a Research Assistant for the Harvard Government Department on a project related to Drug Related Violence and Local State Capacity in Mexico. Francheska holds a B.A. in Government from Harvard University.
 
Jonathan Lines of Operation Underground Railroad  
Jonathan Lines joined Operation Underground Railroad in October 2016 after retiring from federal law enforcement where he served honorably for 25 years. As OUR's President of Operations he directs efforts in saving children from the evils of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation throughout the world. Jon is a proud alum of Arizona State University where he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Justice Studies with an emphasis in Business Administration.  
 
He later earned a Master's Degree in Homeland Security and Defense from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He promotes a collaborative approach to remedy Human Trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children to include contributions from governments, law enforcement, the intelligence community, NGO's, private business and stakeholders from every level of society including health care providers who are often positioned to identify and help mend those who fall prey to the evils of sex trafficking.   
 
He employed this holistic strategy in his very fruitful law enforcement efforts and now brings this approach to OUR in combatting the scourge of human trafficking and the exploitation of children. 
 
 
 


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