NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking to Offer Free Training for Volunteers Leading to an Outreach to Hotels, Motels and Casinos in Atlantic City
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 12, 2024
NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking to Offer Free Training for Volunteers Leading to an Outreach to Hotels, Motels and Casinos in Atlantic City
The New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking (NJCAHT) in partnership with the SOAP Project, Stockton University, and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, will offer a free workshop and training, leading up to a community outreach event on Saturday, September 28th. The training will begin at 9:00 am at the John F. Scarpa Academic Center at Stockton University’s Atlantic City Campus, and is required to participate in the afternoon community outreach event.
The training will be run by the SOAP Project Founder and survivor of sex trafficking, Theresa Flores, along with Gina Cavallo, NJCAHT Survivor Consultant and Board Vice President, and Cristian Eduardo, NJCAHT Board Member. Having survived different forms of sex and labor trafficking, they all are driven to prevent it from happening to others, and to get the message to those currently being victimized that they are not alone, and there is a way to get help. Getting that information into hotels and motels is what the outreach is all about. “Anyone can make a difference in the fight against human trafficking. From simply putting a label on a bar of soap with the hotline number to seeing the signs of someone being trafficking and reaching out to simply say, "Can I help you?" It’s that easy. I’m so grateful that the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking continues to step up to the plate to get the message out there!” Said Ms. Flores.
Volunteers will receive will training on what human trafficking is, clarifying myths, and exploring how perpetrators target and groom their victims. The survivor experts presenting the training will also share the impact trafficking can have on an individual. The training will also include outreach strategies, preparing volunteers to drive to multiple hotels and motels in the area, delivering materials including soap bars and make up removal wipes labeled with the human trafficking hotline number.
It is critically important to involve law enforcement in this work, and the NJCAHT is honored to partner with the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office for this event. AC Prosecutor William Reynolds was recently named as a recipient of the NJCAHT’s Freedom Award for 2024, for his vision and collaboration. The NJCAHT is also grateful and proud to be hosted for this event by Stockton University, which has been a leader in anti-trafficking work for many years.
This will be the NJCAHT’s 11th SOAP Outreach and Training since it first partnered with the SOAP Project in 2014 ahead of the Super Bowl held in New Jersey that year. Because trafficking can happen every day, not only during sporting events and conventions, the NJCAHT has held this outreach in different locations in the years since. In 2015 outreaches took place in Middlesex and Morris Counties; in 2016 the NJCAHT held two outreaches in Atlantic County; in 2017 there
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was one in Camden and Burlington Counties; Union County and Essex County were covered in 2018; in 2019 it took place in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Outreaches resumed after Covid, starting with Bergen County in 2023. During last year’s training and outreach in Bergen County, it was met with overwhelmingly positive responses from hotels and motels across the county.
The hotel trainings the NJCAHT has hosted with the SOAP Project over the past 10 years have both thoroughly informed and also empowered outreach teams. Approximately 1,000 New Jersey hotels and motels have been visited over that time, since around 100 hotels and motels have received information and materials at each outreach.
For more information and to register, please visit: https://www.safernj.org/events/soap- outreach-atlantic-county.
About the SOAP Project
The SOAP (Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution) Project, founded by Theresa Flores, is specifically focused on educating the public about human trafficking, and of its prevalence in our communities, with the goal to prevent youth from being trafficked. It also provides direct support for survivors of trafficking. Read more about their mission and services online at www.SoapProject.org.
About the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking
The New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking (NJCAHT) is a volunteer-run 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2011 that coordinates statewide community efforts to end sex and labor trafficking in New Jersey. Comprising over 150 volunteers and more than 200 affiliates including nonprofits, faith-based organizations, academics, law enforcement, and direct service providers it works to empower communities with the knowledge of what human trafficking is, how to prevent it, and how to support those affected by it. For more information go to: www.safernj.org
About the Human Trafficking Hotline
The National Human Trafficking Hotline can be reached at 1-888-373-7888 or via text at BE FREE (233733). You can reach the Hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in more than 200 languages. All calls are confidential and answered live by highly trained Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocates. You can submit a tip online about a potential trafficking case, or send an email to help@humantraffickinghotline.org for more information go to: https://humantraffickinghotlin...