Sponsored by
Human Trafficking: Its Impact in the
Hispanic/Latino Community
Huxley Auditorium
New York State Museum
260 Madison Avenue, Albany, NY
2:00 – 3:30 pm
Saturday, March 23, 2013
-- free and open to the public --
Focus and Purpose
The focus of this presentation will be on how Human Trafficking is impacting the Hispanic/Latino community in New York State. While Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in the United States, this demographic continues to be underrepresented in all aspects of society, suffers from high poverty rates, highest High School drop out rates, and also disproportionately affected by Human Trafficking. The purpose of this presentation is geared at educating the Latino community about not only how to identify a potential situation but also how and where to seek help.
Presentation
Speakers will address Federal and State Law and how modern-day cases can be found in least-thought of places – not just in NYC but across NYS. The audience may be able to ask questions if time permits, with guided time limitations.
Issues to be addressed
Human Trafficking in New York
Source: NYS Anti-Trafficking Coalition, see attached Sex Trafficking Fact Sheet
Current NYS Law: http://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/pio/humantrafficking/humantrafficking_legislation.pdf
The focus of this presentation will be on how Human Trafficking is impacting the Hispanic/Latino community in New York State. While Hispanics are the fastest growing minority group in the United States, this demographic continues to be underrepresented in all aspects of society, suffers from high poverty rates, highest High School drop out rates, and also disproportionately affected by Human Trafficking. The purpose of this presentation is geared at educating the Latino community about not only how to identify a potential situation but also how and where to seek help.
Presentation
Speakers will address Federal and State Law and how modern-day cases can be found in least-thought of places – not just in NYC but across NYS. The audience may be able to ask questions if time permits, with guided time limitations.
Issues to be addressed
- Impact in the Hispanic/Latino Community
- Ways to combat Human Trafficking in our community
- Resources available to organizations and victims
Human Trafficking in New York
- Between 2000 and 2010, 11,268 trafficking victims were provided with social and legal services in New York City alone (of these, 6,580 were minors).
- Last year in NYS nearly three times as many people in prostitution, many sex trafficking victims, were arrested as johns.
- In 2011, 3,893 people in prostitution were arrested in New York State.
- Director of Midtown Community Court identified 70% of the people arrested for prostitution in
their court as trafficking victims.
Source: NYS Anti-Trafficking Coalition, see attached Sex Trafficking Fact Sheet
Current NYS Law: http://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/pio/humantrafficking/humantrafficking_legislation.pdf
MODERATORS
Mariel Fiori, Managing Editor, La Voz magazine
Co-host, ¿Qué cocinaré hoy? at WGXC 90.7FM Mariel Fiori is the co-founder and managing editor of the monthly independent magazine, La Voz, which seeks to empower the Hispanic population of the Hudson Valley region through actionable information. Fiori is a journalist and translator with a bachelor's degree in Spanish and Latin American and Iberian Studies from Bard College. She has recently earned her MBA from NYU, Stern School of Business. Before coming to the United States in 2003, she lived and worked for two years in Spain, and previously in Buenos Aires, her hometown, where she earned a degree in journalism and studied legal and commercial English-Spanish translation at the Catholic University of Argentina. She has worked for different mass media groups and independent media in Argentina, Spain and the United States as a researcher, writer, translator, editor and radio and television producer. Read her full bio here.
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Antonio Flores-Lobos, Editor, Las Noticias
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La Voz is a free, 20-page monthly publication in Spanish that serves the Hispanic communities of the Mid-Hudson Valley. La Voz, which seeks to empower the Hispanic population of the Hudson Valley region through actionable information.
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The largest Spanish language weekly newspaper that serves New York’s Hudson Valley, sponsored by the Daily Freeman.
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Un programa imperdible con noticias, entrevistas, comentarios, humor, y buena musica. ¿Qué cocinaré hoy? also features health advice, food recipes, math puzzles, and community announcements, among others, on this weekly program.
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PANEL SPEAKERS
Special Agent Wayne Shuptrine
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FBI Community Engagement CouncilThe FBI is working with community organizations and leaders to help identify Civil Rights violations in our communities. The FBI Working Group on Civil Rights meets on a regular basis to share important information and stay connected with the community at large. Human Trafficking has been an area of great focus.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/civilrights/human_trafficking |
Dania Lopez Beltran, Esq., Staff Attorney
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The New York State Anti-Trafficking CoalitionA group of (over 100) organizations that have joined forces to increase public awareness of human trafficking in our communities, enact anti-trafficking laws, improve law enforcement response and increase social services to help women and girls escape trafficking. New York is a leading entry, transit and destination point for trafficking victims. The New York Anti-Trafficking Coalition helped drive the passage of two momentous laws in New York State: The New York Anti-Trafficking Law and the Safe Harbor for Exploited Youth Act.
http://stophumantraffickingny.wordpress.com/coalition-members/ |
Sanctuary for FamiliesSanctuary for Families is the leading nonprofit in New York State dedicated exclusively to serving domestic violence victims, sex trafficking victims, and their children.
Each year, Sanctuary helps thousands of victims and their children build safe lives by offering a range of high quality services to meet their complex needs. These services include clinical, legal, shelter, children’s and economic empowerment services. Sanctuary also works to end domestic violence and its far-reaching impact throughoutreach, education, and advocacy. http://www.sanctuaryforfamilies.org/ |
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Rebecca Fuentes, Activist
Workers’ Center of Central New York In 2009 Rebecca Fuentes was responsible for helping a group of H2B workers at the New York State Fair who were working under conditions of extreme abuse and exploitation, experiencing both health & safety and wage & hour violations. As a result of her efforts, the workers received $115,000 in back wages, and the employer received a $50,000 fine and was charged with human trafficking. Rebecca’s work with the help of other interested activists resulted in an article by the Syracuse newspaper, The Post Standard. Here is the introduction to that article: "In three booths at last year's New York State Fair, 19 men worked in conditions close to slavery. They made and sold chicken gyros and french fries for 16 to 18 hours a day with a 15-minute break and one meal. They were paid $1 an hour. They slept nine or 10 men to one bug-infested trailer, sometimes two to a bed. Some became ill. They worked like this for 11 days at the fair."
US District Court Case here: http://workerscentercny.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/criminal-complaint.pdf Worker's Center of Central New YorkThis non-profit organization is committed to helping workers who have been cheated out of wage and overtime pay through direct advocacy and education about services and programs available. The Center documents and helps eradicate human trafficking.
http://www.workerscentercny.org |
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María Elena Ferrer, Executive Director, Humanamente
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RSVP TO ATTEND THE WORKSHOP HERE
(not required but nice to have)
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