By ALBERT J. COUNTRYMAN Jr.
Gloucester City News
Human trafficking is a despicable crime that exploits the most vulnerable members of society, subjecting them to unspeakable emotional, physical, and psychological trauma, and the NJ Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) is fighting back.
Officers have worked to investigate and prosecute human trafficking offenses, and in January 2023 Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin formed a dedicated Human Trafficking Unit enhancing DCJ’s capabilities in this critical area.
It consists of experienced deputy attorneys general and detective staff that operate throughout New Jersey. The unit investigates the networks of traffickers exploiting members of the community for sex and labor, according to a statement from the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General in response to a query from the Sun Newspapers.
It also assists federal, county, and municipal investigations that impact multiple counties or where DCJ’s statewide footprint can assist.
“The DCJ Human Trafficking Unit also has an education and community outreach component.
While the mandate of the Human Trafficking Unit is to identify and dismantle human trafficking networks operating in New Jersey and bring justice for those they’ve harmed, DCJ has a broader mission to educate, collaborate, prosecute, and prevent human trafficking,” the statement read.
Toward this broader goal, DCJ has significant involvement in the NJ Human Trafficking Task Force, NJ Commission on Human Trafficking and the Human Trafficking Law Enforcement Liaison Group.
Since 2018, approximately a dozen human trafficking cases have been prosecuted by county prosecutors’ offices and another 12 have been prosecuted by DCJ. In 2022, the NJ Human Trafficking Hotline received 113 tips. So far in 2023, the hotline has received 91 tips.
“If you need help, or someone you know does, please call or visit Covenant House at 862-240-2453, the New Jersey Human Trafficking Hotline at 855-363-6548, and/or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 23373.”
The NJ Human Trafficking Task Force is comprised of representatives from law enforcement, victim services organizations, state regulatory departments, and social service providers.
This is a cross-disciplinary task force that helps share non-confidential information between representatives, ensuring that a wide net is cast to identify victims and intervene in crimes of human trafficking.
“The Task Force informs many different organizations that may encounter human trafficking, which creates more opportunities to intervene in these crimes in New Jersey than simply the incidents that law enforcement encounters. This approach is critical because the reality of human trafficking is that it is often very difficult to track and identify; understanding these complexities will improve our ability to combat it.”
The OAG statement also highlighted the importance of the NJ Commission on Human Trafficking.
“It was created by statute to perform several tasks in guiding human trafficking interdiction efforts. Under state law, its responsibilities include the following:
“Evaluate the existing law concerning human trafficking and the enforcement thereof, to make recommendations for legislation, if appropriate;
“Review existing victim assistance programs and analyze the costs, organization, and availability of these services for victims of human trafficking and make recommendations for legislation, if appropriate;
“Promote a coordinated response by public and private resources for victims of human trafficking;
“Develop mechanisms to promote public awareness of human trafficking in accordance with a 2013 state law, including promotion of the national, 24-hour toll-free hotline telephone service on human trafficking described under a 2013 state law and the promotion of training courses and other educational materials so that people undergo training on the handling of and response procedures for suspected human trafficking activities.”
On June 28, 2023, the Commission voted to support two pieces of pending legislation.
The first is Bill A2634, which permits victims and witnesses of human trafficking to testify in criminal proceedings via closed circuit television and permits a judge to make motion to seek closed circuit testimony.
The second is Bill A2636, which eliminates the statute of limitations for the prosecution of human trafficking crimes.
Another key is the coordination between local, county, state and national law enforcement.
“Each county Prosecutor’s Office, the NJ State Police, the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations agency, and the FBI have designated liaisons who handle human trafficking cases in each county and notify the DCJ of new trafficking cases, in order to discuss human trafficking trends occurring locally and to share intelligence,” the OAG release stated.
There has been more awareness about the global scale of trafficking children for the sex industry since the July Fourth release of the movie “Sound of Freedom.”
However, New Jersey has been ahead of the curve fighting this scourge. OAG and DCJ officers are working hard to dismantle human trafficking networks operating in the state, and will continue the fight with the help of the newly formed Human Trafficking Unit.
