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Orange County supervisors mark Human Trafficking Prevention Month and Lunar New Year
Summary
The Orange County Board of Supervisors opened its Jan. 28 meeting with presentations marking National Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Prevention Month and recognizing the Lunar New Year, highlighting local task force work, prevention programs in schools and community events across the county.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 28 recognized January as National Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Prevention Month and observed the Lunar New Year.
The board’s chairman, Supervisor Doug Chaffee, opened the first presentation by describing human trafficking as a “heinous crime” and cited state and task-force statistics about victims and perpetrators, and introduced members of the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force and local nonprofit partners. District Attorney Todd Spitzer outlined prosecution challenges and said his office has filed hundreds of criminal cases and has a high conviction rate for trafficking prosecutions.
Supervisor Katrina Foley, vice chair, said the county’s human-trafficking victim advocacy program has supported more than 1,490 victims over the past decade and emphasized efforts to identify victims earlier through a partnership with UCI researchers to integrate data across courts, social services, law enforcement and the DA’s office. Foley and other supervisors urged parents to watch for online grooming and pointed to school- and community-based prevention programs.
Representatives from the Social Services Agency and nonprofit Global Hope 365 described prevention programming for middle and high school students, school ambassador programs and training for health-care workers. SSA officials said child exploitation investigations increased from 87 the prior year to 135 last year (a 55% increase) and announced two county-hosted prevention events for students and parents in February.
The board then shifted tone to a ceremonial observance. Vice Chair Katrina Foley and Supervisor Janet Nguyen led remarks recognizing the Lunar New Year and invited community leaders to promote local events, cultural exhibits and parades across Orange County. Nguyen noted that her supervisorial district contains the largest Vietnamese community outside Vietnam and highlighted Tet traditions and community festivals in the county.
The presentations closed with brief remarks from other supervisors thanking task-force members, law enforcement and nonprofit partners for victim services and prevention work.
Ending: The board left contact information for the National Human Trafficking Hotline (888-373-7888) in the record and encouraged residents to report tips and attend the county’s upcoming prevention events.
