CT organization dedicated to ending child trafficking gets $800,000 federal grant
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — An estimated 50 million people fall victim to human trafficking and exploitation worldwide. Of that, 25% are children.
"It's one of those issues that's easy to overlook because it's a hidden crime and it's hard to look at," Erin Williamson, chief programs & strategy officer at Love146, said.
Suspects charged with human trafficking in Bristol
Love146 is a New Haven-based organization dedicated to ending child trafficking. Williamson said they've worked with nearly 1,000 young people over these last 10 years.
"Traffickers spend a long time grooming and recruiting these kids," Williamson said. "By the time they're exploiting these kids, they're not that random stranger on the internet. They're not that random guy down the street."
In some cases, exploiters have been family members, peers, romantic partners, community leaders, and educators. They're not only working to combat this, but also provide support to survivors.
"This generous funding will have a major impact on the expansion of our programming," Tamarra Clark, director of U.S. survivor care at Love146, said.
On Friday, it was announced Love146 has received an $800,000 federal grant which will go towards their Transitional Services Program. Through this program, they empower young people — who have experienced or who are at-risk of human trafficking — by helping them navigate employment, education and housing as they transition into adulthood.
Connecticut truck drivers learn signs of human trafficking
"One of the things this funding will help us do is really make sure when youth are referred to us, we're not only able to meet their immediate needs related to the victimization, but then we're also able to wrap ourselves around them and follow them and make sure they successfully enter into adulthood," Williamson said.
This funding is critical to their work.
"A lot of folks are in denial about it," Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) said. "They don't see it right in front of them, so they think it's a thing of the past."
The hope is to help them live a life independently and free of exploitation.
To learn more about Love146, click here.
