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Hanover Township proclaims January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month ahead of 2026 World Cup events
Summary
The Hanover Township Committee adopted a proclamation, signed by the mayor Jan. 22, 2026, declaring January Human Trafficking Awareness Month and committing to community education and survivor-informed responses ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in New Jersey.
The Hanover Township Committee on Jan. 22 adopted a proclamation declaring January of each year as Human Trafficking Awareness Month and committed the township to a program of community education, survivor-informed prevention messaging, and partnership with statewide efforts.
Joe Giorgio presented the three-page proclamation and selected key passages for the record, noting that human trafficking is defined in the text as recruitment, harboring or obtaining individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for sexual or labor exploitation. The proclamation cites an estimated global figure of 27.66 million people subjected to trafficking and highlights the 2026 FIFA World Cup events being held in New Jersey as a reason to intensify outreach and awareness.
The proclamation praises the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking for its survivor-inclusive work and calls on the township to promote opposition to all forms of trafficking and to encourage trauma-informed services for survivors. Thomas A. Gallagher signed the proclamation on behalf of the township committee.
Mayor Gallagher told residents he has attended seminars on the topic and emphasized that the proclamation is only a first step: the township will pursue education and outreach. He noted a mental-health symposium at a Hanover Township event on Feb. 5, and invited coalition representatives and others to participate.
A representative of the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking thanked the committee and commended the Hanover Township Police Department for participating in the coalition's law-enforcement conference in Eatontown.
Next steps: The township said it will circulate the proclamation text and follow up through community events and the Feb. 5 symposium; no ordinance or budgetary action tied to the proclamation was recorded during the meeting.
