VOLUME 15 | ISSUE 1 | JANUARY 2024

Quebec man charged in connection with human-trafficking circuit in B.C.

A collaborative inter-provincial RCMP task force has caught a man involved in a B.C. human-trafficking circuit. Stanley Jean-Baptiste, 36, has been charged with multiple offences relating to trafficking persons after a Dec. 8 bust in Montreal.

7 out of 70-plus men arrested during F1 sex-trafficking operation in Las Vegas  thought they were meeting teenager, police say

The 8 News Now Investigators obtained information on seven of the 70-plus men arrested during a sex trafficking operation run by Metro police’s vice squad during the week of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Dunkirk man indicted for labor and sex trafficking, kidnapping teen

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Dunkirk man was indicted Friday by a federal grand jury on charges that he kidnapped a minor and engaged in labor and sex trafficking, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced.

To better serve the variety of audiences now using the TAT app on their phones, TAT has refreshed its app content and added a number of new capabilities. The app can now:

• Tailor red flag content specifically for various stakeholders, such as school transportation, over-the-road truckers, rideshare drivers, transit, in-home delivery professionals, etc.
• Enhance reporting capabilities for users with geo-location potential and best display call options, including, where available, local hotline numbers.
• Enable TAT the opportunity to track the total number of tips being reported via the app.
• Gather data from willing users/reporters on what they’re seeing as to potential human trafficking situations.
• Provide a direct communication channel to app users.

Anyone already using the TAT app on their phone will automatically be upgraded to the new app, as long as they’re keeping up on their app updates. Download it here for Android users and here for iOS users.

Believing law enforcement at every level need victim-centered, human trafficking training -- but recognizing the physical impossibility of providing that in-person, given the magnitude of law enforcement nationwide -- TAT has created free, on-demand modules, with interactive activities and accompanying e-toolkit to provide training accessibility everywhere. Available now, these modules allow law enforcement officers in any size office anywhere to receive TAT’s in-depth law enforcement training.

Modules can be selected individually or completed in a series. Law enforcement command staff, human trafficking survivors, victims’ advocates and TAT trainers provide sessions, including Human Trafficking 101, Engaging Trafficking Victims: Best Practices, Human Trafficking Indicators at Interdiction Stops with Case Studies, Unlikely Allies: The Importance of the Commercial Vehicle Industry in Combating Human Trafficking, and Addressing Demand: No Buyer = No Victim.

The complimentary e-toolkit contains law enforcement resources, policies to implement, tech tools, victim service provider lists and information on criminal records and survivor well-being and problem-solving courts. The trailer for the modules can be accessed here. The modules themselves can be requested by sending an email to [email protected].

“Having trained law enforcement officers for the last seven years, I realized both the desire by law enforcement for training on human trafficking and our limits as an organization for being able to reach them all through in-person training,” explained Kylla Lanier, TAT deputy director and senior director of Public Sector Engagement. “These on-demand modules, which provide six hours of training in total if taken as a series, exponentially accelerate TAT's ability to reach law enforcement agencies of all sizes and locations. This makes me incredibly happy. This training is our gift to law enforcement for the difficult and, often, thankless job they do every day.”

In early December, TAT’s Addressing Demand webinar attracted 75 participants from 37 companies and seven government agencies representing a wide range of sectors and industries.

This webinar, part of TAT’s three-part Connecting the Dots series included a panel with Alan Smyth, the executive director of Saving Innocence, and Neil Getzlow, author and host of the podcast "Unmasked."

The hour-long session began with a brief overview of TAT, buyers of commercial sex and the importance to target them, how the demand for commercial sex fuels and intersects with human trafficking, online safety and the link between pornography and human trafficking before moving to the panel discussion. Panel topics included:

• The expectations of masculinity (what it means to act like a man, toxic masculinity and its effects, how young boys/teens are taught about sex and love)
• Pornography (its portrayal of women and minorities, its effects and mainstream appearance, how it has shaped the understanding of human sexuality and how it intersects with human trafficking)
• The demand for purchasing sex (who and where are sex buyers, demand for commercial sex in the transportation industry, how those in the transportation industry can spot potential human trafficking situations, those harmed by sex buying, the role of demand in sex trafficking, what can be done to stop demand by both those in the transportation and the general public)
• Social support (the importance of social support systems, mental health awareness)
• Relationships (healthy and unhealthy relationships, the importance of relationships)
• Steps moving forward (how to help end commercial sexual exploitation and gender-based violence individually, in relationships, in your communities, and in society)

The concluding presentation emphasized the truth that with no buyers, the crime of sex trafficking would cease to exist and provided additional next steps, various resources and time for questions. Ten attendees expressed the desire to host this webinar for their companies, agencies or organizations in 2024. Already scheduled for this year are Addressing Demand presentations for UPS, the Atlanta Children’s Hospital, the Georgia Human Trafficking Task Force and the Mid-Columbia Human Trafficking Task Force.

TAT Deputy Director Kylla Lanier, along with Joy Friedman, survivor-leader and founder of The Missing Peace, conducted a four-hour training for 200 frontline workers in Paris, Illinois on Dec. 1. They also presented to a group of 50 community members later that evening, sharing practical ways to help lessen vulnerabilities in a community in order to safeguard people from traffickers and other exploiters.

“Trafficking is just as much of an issue locally as it is nationally,” commented Officer Doug Cochran of the Kansas, Illinois Police Department. “We’re trying to get boots on the ground and keep everyone informed. Not only is this a real issue, but it’s a growing issue for our area as well as the state of Illinois. This is more than a law enforcement issue; it’s an issue for all citizens to become aware about and get involved.”

Lanier said, “We’re grateful to The CARE Coalition of Edgar County, and especially Officer Doug Cochran, for organizing this training and allowing us to share this vital information.”

Lanier and Friedman spoke to about 200 frontline workers in Paris, Illinois.

TRUCKERS AGAINST TRAFFICKING