Human Trafficking: New SOG Resource Explaining Your Obligation to Make a Report and How the Agency Responds

January recognizes the importance of knowing about human trafficking. The President has declared January Human Trafficking Prevention Month (see the proclamation here). The North Carolina Governor and the Chief Justice have both declared January Human Trafficking Awareness Month (see the Governor’s proclamation here and the Chief Justice’s proclamation here). The purpose of these declarations is both a recognition that human trafficking in the United States and North Carolina exists and to educate our citizens about this issue. Partnerships are required for a successful response to combat the crime of human trafficking, which involves both sex and labor trafficking. The national, state, and local responses involve the prevention of human trafficking, protection for victims and survivors, and the prosecution of traffickers. Everyone has a role, including you. In North Carolina, laws require any person or adult who has cause to suspect, knows, or reasonably should have known a juvenile is or was minor victim of human trafficking to make a report to a county department of social services and to local law enforcement. North Carolina law also requires that any adult who knows or reasonably should have known that another adult was a victim of human trafficking when that other adult was a juvenile make a report to local law enforcement. And, North Carolina law requires any person who has reasonable cause to believe a “disabled adult” is a victim of human trafficking make a report to the adult protective division of a county department of social services. With funding and a [...]