(MINEOLA, N.Y.) - In observance of January as National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, Nassau County Legislator Seth I. Koslow (D – Merrick) partnered with Dr. Pepper Martin of Freeport-based Destiny House Christian Center and Women Intended for Excellence (WIFE, Inc.) to host a Human Trafficking Symposium at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive & Legislative Building on Thursday, Jan. 9.
Emceed by Dr. Martin and retired registered nurse Kathleen Moran, the program featured presentations by Queens County ADA Jessica Melton and Nassau County ADA Christina Guida, who discussed the current state of human trafficking in their respective Counties and efforts underway to combat the crisis.
Later, a panel discussion featured insights from psychiatrist Dr. Theresa Taylor Williams, Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho, an instrumental figure in shaping the New York court system’s response to human trafficking; and testimony by a survivor of human trafficking. The event further spotlighted not-for-profit organizations in our area that aid victims of human trafficking.
“Human trafficking is a moral outrage that inflicts unthinkable trauma upon its victims, and we must all we can to confront this scourge and eradicate it from our society,” Legislator Koslow said. “I am grateful to Dr. Martin and our esteemed panel for sharing their expertise and all of the Nassau County residents who joined us for this difficult, but necessary, conversation. Together, we’re raising awareness and taking action to combat human trafficking in our communities”
Additional resources can be obtained through the National Human Trafficking Hotline by calling 1-888-373-7888; texting 233733 or visiting https://humantraffickinghotline.org.