Florida's Attorney General holds online summit to combat human trafficking

On Oct. 5, the 2021 Human Trafficking Summit was held by Florida's Attorney General Ashley Moody to combat human trafficking. Summit attendees seek to strengthen their mutual responses and dispel misperceptions of human trafficking, with the goal of reducing the staggering numbers of human trafficking. According to the Department of State's June 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report, human traffickers are denying nearly 25 million people, worldwide, of their freedom and basic human dignity.

The summits for this year and also for 2020 were held virtually, due to ongoing health and safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed for a larger number of registrants to attend.

"As servants in our community, we remain steadfast in the protection of human dignity," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "We lead by example, and we have not grown weary in our fight for those denied their freedoms. Our office, along with our robust network of allies, are faithfully continuing the fight against human trafficking."

The Florida's Statewide Council on Human Trafficking was created through legislation in 2014. This 15-member Council, chaired by Attorney General Ashley Moody, builds on existing state and local partnerships working to combat human trafficking. Members of the council include law enforcement officers, prosecutors, legislators, and experts in the fields of health, education, and social services. The council conducts this annual summit to bring together local, state, and national leaders working to eradicate all forms of trafficking.

Breakout sessions include recent updates and developments in the following areas: Legal and Law Enforcement, Service Delivery, Policy and Research, and Medical and Healthcare. Participants of the online summit engaged in conversations about modern case examples of human trafficking and evaluated the best law enforcement methodologies used to combat human trafficking efforts.

Learning opportunities created at the 2021 Human Trafficking Summit will allow Florida to continue working to protect victims, prevent trafficking, and prosecute traffickers.

The 2021 Human Trafficking Summit is hosted by the Florida Attorney General's Office, the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, the Florida Department of Children and Families, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking, Inc., and the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers, along with Florida State University as an educational partner.