A victim specialist with the FBI's Newark, New Jersey, field office will hold a human trafficking education and awareness seminar on June 7 in the Lindner Conference Center.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) 'Blue Campaign', human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Keyla Munoz will speak about the world's second largest criminal industry during the presentation. The Blue Campaign is the unified voice for DHS efforts to combat human trafficking.
According to the Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey website, "Human trafficking is a serious problem in New Jersey with children, adolescents, and adults at risk for being exploited through prostitution and pornography."
The Human Trafficking Education and Awareness event is being hosted by the Picatinny Arsenal Military Spouse's Group with the training falling under the Picatinny Sexual Harassment, Assault, Response and Prevention (SHARP) program.
Pamela Abramson, wife of the Picatinny Arsenal Senior Commander, Brig. Gen. Alfred F. Abramson III, is heavily involved with next week's presentation.
"Although I left my social work career to come here, I continue to have the same drive and passion," Abramson said.
"My profession and role as the Senior Spouse at Picatinny affords me the opportunity to continue social work initiatives but from a different platform. I am humbled and honored to have this this opportunity," She added.
Abramson was employed by the State of Maryland as a Social Worker for the Harford County Department of Social Services for 18 years. She worked nine years as a Family Social Worker in efforts to children from being placed out of home, and worked nine years as a Child Protective Service Investigator, investigating all allegations of physical abuse and neglect.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in social work degree from Virginia State University, and a Master of Science in human services with a specialization in social work and community services degree from Capella University, as well as a Master of Arts in social work degree from Salisbury University. Abramson has also attended and completed several Human Trafficking courses over the past three years.
She completed "Child First" training through the Maryland State Police Barracks, conducted forensic interviewing for child sex abuse victims, and worked in this specialized area investigating sex abuse allegations. As an expert witness, Abramson testified in the Juvenile and Appellate Courts on child abuse investigations and assisted law enforcement with criminal cases.
In a conversation in advance of the June 7 event, Abramson related how the Military Spouse's Committee became involved in hosting a human trafficking event.
"We learned that Marisol MacCheyne, a spouse within our spouse group, is a strong advocate for human trafficking awareness and is very active within the community working to combat human trafficking and I reached out to her," Abramson said.
"She and I met for coffee and shared each other's backgrounds and quickly realized we had similar passions, and concerns. It was then that the idea of doing something on Human Trafficking Awareness and Education for the Picatinny Arsenal Community was born.
"Education and Awareness is important. The greatest weapon to combat this issue is you. Law enforcement can't do it alone. Having the basic knowledge, awareness, and education could save someone's life. Imagine that."
There are people at Picatinny who might say, "Why do we need this training? There's no human trafficking going on here at Picatinny." What would you say to those who feel this is not their problem or it does not affect them?
"In my opinion, military installations are just as vulnerable, if not more. Soldiers and civilians who constantly travel and or are deployed could become susceptible to targeting. As for family members living on the installation, there can be a somewhat false sense of security. By that I mean, although we (the community) are protected by physical barriers, with gates, patrols, and restricted access…the internet, and social media can pose a more challenging problem in which we must as a community remain vigilant. Having this knowledge is important in recognizing any potential victim and a safety measure for the Soldier and civilian.
"It's everyone's problem because human trafficking affects every community, ethnicity and it does not care about one's socioeconomic status. It's important to know that resources exist in New Jersey and the local area. You don't need to solve the case, you just need suspicion to make a report. This allows the experts in this field to determine if it is human trafficking or not.
"As previously mentioned, we live in the age of the social media and the internet. While the internet is a great resource for information, it's also one of the many methods traffickers use to lure and recruit victims. Anyone who is a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, sister, brother, friend, teacher, supervisor, medical professional, mental health professional, child care personnel should make it a priority to educate themselves."
What do you expect to take place during this awareness event on June 7 and what do you want the workforce to take away from it?
"Human trafficking is hard conversation, difficult to hear, process, and hard to imagine it occurs. Even more important, the common thought might be, 'Well, it won't happen to me'. For that reason, it is imperative people listen, learn, and become guardians against a preventable crime. An increased awareness and knowledge on this topic ensures we have advocates who have been informed of tools and resources available, should they have any questions. Ultimately, to better humanize this topic, it would be important for people to leave with the understanding of the physical, psychological, and medical traumas victims of human trafficking face, on a daily basis."
What is your role on the Spouse's committee? Who can join, and how can someone find out more information?
"As the Senior Commander's spouse I serve as the Group Leader. My role simply is to foster a positive environment, fellowship and support spouses here at Picatinny. It's important to ensure no spouse goes unnoticed. The spouse group is open to all military spouses (Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve, or Retired) living on, off, and / or around Picatinny Arsenal -- no matter assignment location or service affiliation. The spouse group meets the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at different locations.
"We also have a Spouse "TOO" group that meets once a month during the daytime at different locations. This group is open to all spouses but targets spouses who may have challenges attending the evening group. Our email is picascg@gmail.com for more information."
Human Trafficking Resources:
National Human Trafficking Resource Center: 1-888-373-7888
New Jersey Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-855-363-6548
New Jersey Child Abuse Hotline: 1-877-652-2873
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