On Wednesday, October 12, FCA, a leading health and human services not-for-profit organization on Long Island will host an educational community training program focusing on the human trafficking epidemic on Long Island, held at NCPD Center for Training and Intelligence, 1 Law Enforcement Way, and through Facebook Live. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear firsthand examples and best practices from a panel of experts who have dedicated their lives to combatting human exploitation.
Between 2007 and 2019, New York agencies tallied 1,541 statewide trafficking victims. According to the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, there were 301 confirmed cases in 2020, during the height of the pandemic – more than in any single year since tracking started in 2007. Wednesday’s training session aims to provide awareness and education around how to spot the warning signs of human trafficking, best practices for prevention, available victim resources, and ways in which the community can collectively combat the injustices happening throughout Long Island.
“One might perceive human trafficking as an epidemic that cannot be happening within their own communities, but that is simply not the case,” said FCA President and CEO Jeffrey L. Reynolds, PhD. “With cases of human exploitation increasing nationally and here on Long Island, it is imperative to the safety of our community that we host educational seminars such as this to raise awareness and address human trafficking in our own backyard. It is vitally important to distinguish between the many common misconceptions about and the realities of human trafficking. We can all become better advocates for ourselves and our community.”
Dr. Reynolds, along with Timothy Sini, former Suffolk County District Attorney and partner at Nixon Peabody LLP., and Dr. Bill O’Leary, forensic psychologist, will speak on how to raise public awareness and best advocate for vulnerable and marginalized members of society. To provide participants with a firsthand perspective on the grim realities of Long Island’s largest criminal enterprises, a former trafficker will also speak about his experiences and provide insight on the warning signs of someone who may be trafficked. FCA Grants Director Keith Scott will serve as moderator.
The event is sponsored by Nassau County legislators Laura Schaefer, Denise Ford, Rose Marie Walker and Mazi Melesa Pilip. To find out more information or to register for the event, virtually or in-person please click here.
The event is free to the public; for those interested in earning CEU credits, there is a charge.
Where:
David S. Mack Center for Training and Intelligence
1 Law Enforcement Way
Garden City, NY 11530
When:
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
6:30PM – 8:30PM
About FCA
FCA is a not-for-profit agency helping more than 30,000 Long Islanders each year. For more than 138 years, the organization has worked to protect and strengthen vulnerable children, seniors, families, and communities on Long Island.
FCA believes in the potential of Long Island - a place where no child, senior, family or community is left to struggle alone with barriers to health care, education, employment, or economic prosperity. Long Island continues to be one of the greatest places in the world to live and raise a family for many; FCA exists to ensure that be the case for all. For more information about FCA, visit FCALI.org.