DUTCHESS COUNTY AWARDED $100,000 WITH NEW YORK STATE SAFE HARBOR GRANT
Funding to help victims of human trafficking and provide prevention training and education
Poughkeepsie… Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro and Dutchess County Legislature Chairman Rob Rolison have announced the Dutchess County Department of Community and Family Services (DCFS) has been awarded a $100,000 grant through the New York State Safe Harbor initiative. DCFS will partner with the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, Family Services, Inc., and other agencies to assess occurrences of human trafficking in the County, provide recognition and prevention training, case management and public education.
Human trafficking is the recruitment, harboring or transportation of people within national or across international borders for the purpose of commercial exploitation. Statistics regarding human trafficking are often underreported and difficult to calculate since those being abused, particularly youths, are very unwilling to self-report they are being trafficked due to fear of retribution. Moreover, commonly young victims do not even know they are being trafficked until they are in a system of care.
County Executive Molinaro said, “Our goal is to protect children who are victims of trafficking and provide them with services that address the unique trauma they endure. Dutchess County will also help prevent children from becoming victims of such exploitation through increased public awareness and training of law enforcement officers, child protective services, the medical community, schools and youth service providers.”
In 2008, New York enacted the Safe Harbor for Exploited Children Law to protect sexually exploited children from being charged with a juvenile delinquent offense, in appropriate cases. The law defines children who are involved in these crimes as victims, not perpetrators. The Safe Harbor Law provides services to children who have been sexually exploited. In recent years, the state has provided funds to several counties to combat human trafficking in New York.
The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) selected Dutchess County to receive the grant because of the County’s proximity to the New York State Thruway, which is a gateway to more prevalent human trafficking activities in New York City. Rolison is a member of the OCFS state board.
As part of this initiative, DCFS has sent the state a proposal outlining several activities the County will look to undertake with the grant, including:
• Conduct comprehensive assessment on human trafficking in Dutchess County;
• Provide immediate, comprehensive case management, including health, human and legal services, to youth that have been or are at risk of being trafficked in Dutchess County through the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse;
• Subcontract with Family Services, Inc., the County’s non-residential domestic violence service provider, to operate a human trafficking hotline;
• Work in collaboration with The Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie and River Haven to provide safe housing for youth victims of trafficking;
• Provide human trafficking recognition and prevention training for first responders and medical professionals, to be offered by Family Services, Inc. and Give Way to Freedom, a regional organization that advocates for victims, provides victim care services and educates;
• Develop a community awareness campaign, including public service announcements and literature about human trafficking, with assistance from the Spark Media Project and the Dutchess County Task Force Against Human Trafficking.
In 2014, the Dutchess County Task Force Against Human Trafficking was established by Dutchess County Legislature Chairman Rob Rolison in partnership with County Executive Molinaro, bringing together the County Department of Community and Family Services, the Department of Health, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies to understand and respond to the problem of individuals being trafficked within the county.
“With these funds, Dutchess County will be able to develop and implement a comprehensive approach to identifying victims and offering services to meet their needs. As a member of the OCFS state board, I look forward to a strong collaboration with our community partners to fulfill our commitment to serving our most vulnerable,” said Legislature Chairman Rolison.
“To traffic a child is an especially heinous crime,” said Senator Sue Serino. “We have a duty to do everything in our power to protect our children and I applaud County officials for taking the necessary steps to raise awareness for this issue and for making it a real priority.”
Additionally, County Executive Molinaro recently announced a $25,000 grant through the Agency Partner Grant program to the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, which will use the funds to study the trafficking of adults in the county.
“The Center is proud to work in partnership with DCFS to bring to light this under-recognized issue in Dutchess County. Together in collaboration with many others in the County, we will be able to educate and train first responders, social workers, and the general public. But even more importantly, the County will be able to serve at-risk youth that are being victimized on a daily basis,” said Kathleen Murphy, the executive director of the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse and the leader of the Dutchess County Task Force Against Human Trafficking.
