Press Release: National Human Trafficking Awareness Day

Recognizing January 11th as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, the Greater New Orleans Human Trafficking Task Force (GNOHTTF) announces its continued, multi-year funding from the United States Department of Justice beginning in February 2019.  Evolving from the 2006 Louisiana Human Trafficking Task Force, through the 2012 New Orleans Human Trafficking Working Group, the Greater New Orleans Human Trafficking Task Force was established in 2015 to have a victim-centered, multi-disciplinary approach, coordinating private and public agencies to liberate people trafficked -- often from coercive and violent circumstances.  This funding grants the GNOHTTF funding for 3 more years to continue its work combating human trafficking in the Greater New Orleans region.

Bringing the reality of human trafficking in the Greater New Orleans metropolitan area, the Task Force announces two events – a panel discussion January 23th from 6:00-7:30pm at the Mid-City Library, 4149 Canal Street, where Task Force members will dialogue and answer questions on what responders in the New Orleans area are doing liberate and serve trafficking victims and survivors.  On Thursday, January 24th, after presenting to the New Orleans City Council, the Greater New Orleans Human Task Force will host an evening of networking, where former Louisiana Poet Laureate, Julie Kane will read an original poem created for this event.  

One of the achievements of the Task Force is the completion of the Louisiana Human Trafficking Survivor Housing Resource Guide – an in-depth guide including 18 shelter providers in Louisiana who serve trafficking survivors, with a digital copy is available at www.nolatrafficking.org- and the forthcoming Opening Doors: Louisiana Human Trafficking Housing Report which reviews the shelter landscape in Louisiana.   Additionally, the Task Force is launching its “All Work, No Pay?” awareness campaign that includes an awareness poster and an outreach pamphlet in a variety of languages including: English, Spanish, French, Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, and Arabic. This campaign affirms the Task Force’s commitment to inclusive, trauma-informed awareness materials that shows a diverse range of identities and work environments.

For further information on the Greater New Orleans Human Trafficking Task Force, contact Leanne McCallum, Task Force Coordinator at 504-584-1170, or at info@nolatrafficking.org.  

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PRESS RELEASE: Amite Residents Charged with Civil Rights Crimes for Abusing Family Member with Disabilities

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Eastern District of Louisiana

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Amite Residents Charged with Civil Rights Crimes for Abusing Family Member with Disabilities

WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in New Orleans, Louisiana, returned a six-count human trafficking and hate crime indictment relating to the abuse of D.P., a 22-year-old woman with disabilities, in Amite, Louisiana. Raylaine Knope, 42, Terry J. Knope, II, 45, Jody Lambert, 23, and Taylor Knope, 20, are charged with one count of conspiring to obtain the forced labor of D.P., in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1594(b); one count of forced labor, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1589; and one count of using force and threats of force to interfere with D.P.’s federal Fair Housing Act rights because of her disability, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 3631. Raylaine Knope and Terry J. Knope, II are also charged with one count of attempted sex trafficking of D.P., in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591 and 1594(a); and Terry J. Knope, II is charged with one count of a hate crime for shooting D.P. with a BB gun because of her disability, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 249(a)(2), and one count of theft of government funds for stealing D.P.’s federal disability benefits, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 641. In addition, in a related matter, Bridget Lambert, 21, was separately charged in a one-count Bill of Information for conspiring to obtain the forced labor of D.P., in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371.

The forced labor, forced labor conspiracy, and Fair Housing Act charges against Raylaine Knope, Terry J. Knope, II, Jody Lambert, and Taylor Knope carry a statutory maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The sex trafficking charge against Raylaine Knope and Terry J. Knope, II, carries a mandatory minimum penalty of fifteen years imprisonment, with a statutory maximum penalty of life imprisonment. The hate crime charge and the theft of government funds charge against Terry J. Knope, II, each carry a statutory maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment. The separate conspiracy charge against Bridget Lambert carries a statutory maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.

An indictment and a bill of information are formal accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the FBI Field Office in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Risa Berkower and Nicholas Reddick of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and Assistant United States Attorney Julia Evans, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

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Access the original press release on the U.S. Attorney's Office news webpage. 

PRESS RELEASE: National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month Raises Awareness of Hidden Crime in Louisiana

Contact Information:                                                           Release Date: For immediate release

Contact: Leanne McCallum, Task Force Coordinator

Tel: 504- 584- 1170

Email: info@nolatrafficking.org

Website: www.nolatrafficking.org

PRESS RELEASE: National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month Raises Awareness of Hidden Crime in Louisiana

The Greater New Orleans Human Trafficking Task Force will honor the 7th annual National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month by hosting and supporting awareness raising activities throughout the month of January.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – January 11, 2018

The Greater New Orleans Human Trafficking Task Force will honor the National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month with community awareness announcements and events throughout the month of January. The Task Force will join the national conversation about human trafficking by educating the community and raising awareness about how it affects the Greater New Orleans region.

In December 2010, the President of the United States designated January to be National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Each year since, organizations and agencies across the country have hosted activities and awareness campaigns in observation of the event. For January 2018, the Task Force will mark the national month of awareness by sharing content and media from partner agencies, advertising upcoming awareness and training events, and providing educational information about human trafficking. These events and activities will be posted on the Task Force’s calendar. 

“Human trafficking isn’t just an international crime or something that only happens in other parts of the country: it’s happening here in our own backyard,” says Leanne McCallum, the Task Force Coordinator. “Human trafficking is a hidden crime. Not only is it an illicit trade that can be difficult to detect, but also victims often don’t come forward to report their experiences. The more we can engage the public and raise awareness, the more we will be able to prevent trafficking from happening and identify victims and perpetrators.”

Human trafficking is when a trafficker uses force, fraud, or coercion to compel a victim for the purposes of forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. Louisiana is a hub for the crime, and agencies and organizations across the state are working together to combat it:

●      In 2016 Polaris reported 334 calls to their hotline from Louisiana with 108 cases of trafficking;

●      A Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) report found that there were 447 human trafficking cases statewide in 2016;

●      Shared Hope, a national anti-sex trafficking advocacy organization, gave Louisiana an “A” report card for its legislation and efforts to combat juvenile sex trafficking.

The Greater New Orleans Human Trafficking Task Force continues to be a regional resource for collaboration in the fight against human trafficking. Since receiving a United States Department of Justice Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking grant in 2015, the Task Force has been a leader within the Greater New Orleans anti-trafficking community:

●      Task Force funded social service providers have aided more than 185 victims and survivors of trafficking in the Greater New Orleans community, providing more than 12,450 units of services including: case management, housing, medical services, transportation, legal services and advocacy;

●      Funded law enforcement partners have conducted more than 140 human trafficking investigations and identified more than 50 confirmed human trafficking victims;

●      Task Force members have conducted more than 65 outreach activities, hosted 20 educational events, and trained more than 680 people.

The Greater New Orleans Human Trafficking Task Force is a coalition of more than 80 state, civil society, and citizen organizers, the Task Force is committed to the prevention of human trafficking in the Greater New Orleans area through education, outreach, and collaboration. The Task Force’s primary goal is to collaborate in sharing and disseminating information, contacts, and protocols related to the existence, prevention, and response to human trafficking in New Orleans.

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For more information on future plans and events sponsored by the Greater New Orleans Human Trafficking Task Force visit www.nolatrafficking.org/calendar or contact the Task Force Coordinator, Leanne McCallum, at info@nolatrafficking.org.

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The production of this content was supported by grant number 2015-VT-BX-K004, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this content are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.