Traffick Free

08/03/2024

A genuinely positive national step toward helping protect our children from the threat of human trafficking.

The Senate has passed legislation designed to protect children from dangerous online content. It's pushing forward with what would be the first major effort by Congress in decades to hold tech companies more accountable for the harm they cause.

07/27/2024

"This case highlights a crucial aspect of protecting children from online exploitation, including human trafficking. By ensuring that companies adhere to stringent privacy standards, we help reduce the risk of children being targeted by predators and traffickers who exploit online platforms. Enhanced data protection measures not only safeguard children's personal information but also contribute to broader efforts in preventing trafficking and ensuring a safer online environment for our youth."

Click the link to read the full story.

On June 18, 2024, the California Attorney General and the Los Angeles City Attorney (collectively, “the People”) announced a settlement with Tilting...

07/20/2024

While this piece was published in the spring, unfortunately the warning is evergreen.

A suburban police department is pushing for heightened awareness concerning human trafficking after a Chicago-area teenager was enticed to leave home by someone she met on a gaming app, authorities said. The Geneva Police Department issued a news release on Monday to alert residents about human s*x....

07/13/2024

This image is a downloadable flyer that details our mission, as well as the training and resources we offer in our communities.

Please feel free to share with your networks!

07/06/2024

From June 24 - 28, 2024, Europol hosted an operational sprint focusing on buyers of live-streamed child abuse material. Representatives from 10 countries, including the U.S. and various European nations, collaborated during this event.

A team of 32 investigators analyzed tens of thousands of images and videos, and over 10 million lines of online conversations, identifying around 12,000 criminal customer accounts and 100 seller accounts. This intensive effort led to the creation of information packages that could help national authorities in 24 countries identify 197 buyers involved in live distant child abuse.

Read more about this work via the link.

Between 24 and 28 June 2024, Europol hosted an operational sprint targeting buyers of live distant child abuse material. The sprint brought together representatives from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States. During the sp...

06/30/2024

If organizing an in-person session for your organization or group is a logistical challenge, Traffick Free has plenty of experience conducting virtual trainings too.

Visit our website for more information, and/or to request a speaker.

06/22/2024

The June edition of our newsletter was just emailed to subscribers!

Want to get on the list? Sign up here.

Contact us.To request a Traffick Free representative for your event, please complete our Request a Speaker form. Subscribe to our newsletter by completing the Subscribe form below. For all other inquires, please send us a message. MAILING ADDRESS:Traffick FreeP.O. Box 31988Chicago, IL 60631   Name ...

06/15/2024

Illinois House Bill 5465 passed in both Houses on May 16, 2024.

It concerns the expungement of juvenile law enforcement and juvenile court records. The bill allows individuals who were victims of human trafficking to ask the court to erase or seal their juvenile criminal records. This applies to crimes they were involved in before turning 18, if those crimes were directly related to their trafficking situation. Once they have completed their juvenile court sentence, they can request this legal relief to help them move forward without the burden of a criminal record that resulted from being trafficked.

Click the link for more details, and a complete list of actions.

Bill Status - Illinois General Assembly

06/08/2024

05/25/2024

An important reminder as Summer 2024 officially commences this Memorial Day holiday weekend. When temps go up, so should our collective .

Here are some indicators of which to be aware.

Human Trafficking Red Flags for Summer Travelers U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent this bulletin at 06/13/2023 09:50 AM EDT June 2023 Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. What's New with Blue? BLI Corner CCHT Corner From The Field What's New with Blue? Traveling This Sum...

05/18/2024

Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest organizational and advocacy updates. The next edition will be shared with our community in June.

Sign up via the link.

Contact us.To request a Traffick Free representative for your event, please complete our Request a Speaker form. Subscribe to our newsletter by completing the Subscribe form below. For all other inquires, please send us a message. MAILING ADDRESS:Traffick FreeP.O. Box 31988Chicago, IL 60631   Name ...

05/11/2024

ICYMI: A group photo from a training session with Casa Esperanza Chicago in January of this year. We thank the team for inviting us.

Interested in having a Traffick Free representative at your upcoming event? Follow this link: https://www.traffickfree.org/request

05/04/2024

Tomitra Fluker of Reclaim13 is a survivor and advocate making an impact. We applaud and thank her for her work.

Reclaiming their lives. That's the message from one west suburban organization encouraging young girls. Reclaim 13 helps teenage girls and young women who have been s*xually exploited.

04/27/2024

"In his appeal, Kelly argued that Illinois’ former and shorter statute of limitations on child s*x crime prosecutions should have applied to his Chicago case rather than current law permitting charges while an accuser is still alive."

A federal appeals court says singer R. Kelly was correctly sentenced to 20 years in prison on child s*x convictions in Chicago.

04/21/2024

Join the American Bar Association Thursday, April 24, at 1 PM EDT for this free webinar (registration required).

"Despite the International Labor Organization's prohibitive child labor laws, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the U.S. Department of Labor's laws, these practices persist. Our expert panelists will propose possible solutions."

Speakers include:

Zama Neff - Executive Director, Children's Rights Division, Human Rights Watch
Benjamin Smith - Senior Officer on Child Labor, International Labour Organization
Jessica Leinwand - Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel, UNICEF USA
Elizabeth Barad (Moderator) - International Law and Gender Consultant

Follow the link to register.

The recent rise of children at work is due to the increase in inflation and the cost of living, and in the United States, lessening of state protective laws and the use of migrant children.

04/13/2024

"A new human trafficking awareness campaign pairs local government with local artists, taking a softer approach to reaching those who may be in need of help."

A new human trafficking awareness campaign pairs local government with local artists, taking a softer approach to reaching those who may be in need of help. This visual campaign is designed in collaboration with Mural Movement artists.

04/06/2024

Traffick Free was founded in 2008, and continues its mission to raise awareness and provide education on the local realities of s*xual and labor exploitation in the greater Chicagoland area.

One of the ways we keep our supporters up-to-date on initiatives and opportunities to help support Traffick Free's work, is through our quarterly newsletter.

Not yet a subscriber, or know someone who'd like to stay connected? Follow the link and complete the very short form to receive our updates.

Contact us.To request a Traffick Free representative for your event, please complete our Request a Speaker form. Subscribe to our newsletter by completing the Subscribe form below. For all other inquires, please send us a message. MAILING ADDRESS:Traffick FreeP.O. Box 31988Chicago, IL 60631   Name ...

03/30/2024

This report is two months old, but not much has changed.

We have a lot of work to do. Please join us in this fight.

A new report from Shared Hope International has given Illinois an "F" grade for its handling of child s*x and human trafficking.

03/24/2024

Traffick Free began in 2008 as a means of raising awareness of, and providing education on, the local realities of s*xual and labor exploitation in the greater Chicago area.

Through an ever-growing partner network of city offices, churches, non-profits, and civic organizations, Traffick Free has worked to increase people’s understanding of human trafficking in our communities.

Here are just a few of these critical resources.

Resources The National Human Trafficking Hotline Connects trafficking victims and survivors with services and support to get help and stay safe.The toll-free phone and SMS text lines and live online chat are available 24/7, in over 200 languages. Hotline: 1-888-373-7888Text: 233733 Visit their Websi...

03/16/2024

This past Thursday, March 14, our Executive Director Gina Parisi delivered a presentation at the Illinois Association for the Treatment and Prevention of S*xual Abuse's annual conference.

The session, "Does this Happen Here? The Facts about Human Trafficking," delved into the State of Illinois' 11th rank in the nation, relative to cases of human trafficking.

We'd like to thank the organization for the opportunity, and invite you to learn more about its work.

Dr. Sue Righthand is a psychologist in independent practice. She has a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. She has extensive experience working with youth and adults who have offended s*xually, as well as individuals who have experienced or initiated child maltr...

03/09/2024

We’re excited to announce we’ve moved our donation platform to Givebutter. This move reduces administrative fees, enabling us to allocate more resources to our mission to help combat human trafficking.

Givebutter is a reliable, user-friendly platform that enables secure donations using credit cards, PayPal, and bank transfers. You can give a one-time gift, or set up a recurring donation to support our cause.

We thank you in advance for your continued support and commitment to our mission. Together, we can make a significant impact to help end human trafficking.

Donate Traffick Free relies on the generous support of donors to help us make an impact. As a volunteer led organization, all donations are used to support our programs and operating costs. Your donation allows us to provide free trainings to equip professionals & community members with the necessar...

03/02/2024

"Cindy Gonzalez, an Anti-Trafficking Outreach Specialist who is part of the Cook County Sheriff's Special Victims Unit...visits Chicago's migrant shelters to warn new arrivals about trafficking, which is the use of force, fraud or coercion for s*x or labor. Hundreds of migrants have been attending each session."

We wish the need for this work didn't exist, but we applaud everyone - and every organization - doing it.

Many 36,000 migrants in Chicago moved here to escape violence and crime. Now they are in need of protection from a despicable criminal element here: s*x traffickers.

02/24/2024

Somehow we're almost a third of the way into 2024! We hope the year has been safe, peaceful and supportive for all thus far.

We want to check in with our Traffick Free community, and introduce ourselves to those learning about our organization for the first time.

Traffick Free is driven by ordinary, committed people volunteering time and talents to help end human trafficking. The organization formed with the purpose of spreading awareness and educating professionals and community members, so everyone can be part of the solution.

Want to learn more, or request a Traffick Free speaker for your coming event? Just follow the link.

02/03/2024

We had a great time last week presenting at Casa Esperanza Chicago's Community Event! Their team did an awesome job hosting this event to help spread awareness about human trafficking.

To learn more about our FREE virtual or in-person trainings, visit https://www.traffickfree.org/what-we-do-copy-1

01/31/2024

As human trafficking prevention month comes to a close, we want to remind everyone that raising awareness about this crime does not end in January. Continue spreading awareness and advocating for survivors throughout the year!

Visit traffickfree.org to learn more about how you can become involved in the fight again human trafficking!

01/28/2024

Congratulations to Traffick Free's founder and current Board member Laura Ng for being awarded the Advocacy Honoree Award at the 2024 Girls Night Out!

This event helps spread awareness of human trafficking and raise funds for housing survivors. View all the honorees and how you can contribute to this important cause by visiting: https://www.drkisharobertstabb.com/girlsnightout

08/19/2023

Parents, be careful what you post online. Celebrate those milestones with joy and safety in mind.

⚠️📚 BEFORE YOU POST THAT BACK TO SCHOOL PHOTO!

“As you document your child's First Day of School with those adorable signs, remember to prioritize safety. Avoid sharing personal details like their full name, school name, grade, age, and other identifying features. Let's create joyful memories while keeping our children safe!” (via Midland PD)

🗞️ Follow HEX FM for more

08/01/2023

HB 3414, better known as Prevent Unfair Sentencing of Youth Act, will go into effect January 1, 2024. "Sponsored by Rep. Lilian Jiménez and Sen. Mike Simmons, the legislation is significant, as it reforms the criminal legal system to require that judges not only view children as survivors of exploitation, but also consider their experiences, trauma and other mitigating factors when they’re accused of harming their abusers. The new law allows for judicial discretion to depart from mandatory minimums or to return a victim’s case to juvenile court."

Child survivors no longer face decades in prison because they attempted to protect themselves against their adult exploiters.

07/16/2023

To combat some common misconceptions about human trafficking, read this from Love146

We sat down with human trafficking prevention experts and asked them five commonly asked questions around child exploitation.