SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE MORE THAN $1.2 MILLION IN FED FUNDS TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN ERIE COUNTY
Federal Grants Will Be Used To Fund Task Force to Develop & Implement Strategies to Prosecute Sex and Labor Traffickers and Help Human-Trafficking Survivors
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand today announced $1,250,000 in federal funding for the International Institute of Buffalo and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office. Specifically, the International Institute of Buffalo will receive $750,000 and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office will receive $500,000 to combat human trafficking, prosecute trafficking crimes, and provide counselling and outreach to victims and survivors. This funding was allocated through the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office for Victims of Crime and the National Institute of Justice.
“With this critical federal funding, the International Institute of Buffalo and Erie County Sheriff’s Office will be able to continue their important work, prosecuting vile sex and labor traffickers and serving the victims of human trafficking in Western New York,” said Senator Schumer. “It is important that we work to both eliminate human trafficking through prosecution and help survivors obtain the comprehensive services they need and deserve.”
“This critical federal funding will allow the International Institute of Buffalo and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office to facilitate a wide range of programs to combat human trafficking and provide assistance to survivors,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Western New York will now have additional resources to identify and respond to the needs of human trafficking and domestic violence survivors and can do more to help them get the support and services they need.”
The International Institute of Buffalo assists refugees, immigrants and victims of human trafficking integrate into society through English language classes and job training programs. The Erie County Sheriff’s Office investigates human trafficking cases and handles accused offenders pending court action. The grants allocated to the International Institute of Buffalo and the Erie County Sheriff’s Office are part of a larger $44 million grant allocation from the DOJ to cities and towns across the country to combat human trafficking, prosecuting human trafficking cases, and providing support and counselling for survivors.
The Department of Justice’s Specialized Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Competitive Solicitation and Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking Competitive Solicitation: Enhancement of Established Human Trafficking Task Forces awards grants to states, units of local government (including federally recognized Indian tribal governments, as determined by the Secretary of the Interior), and nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (including tribal nonprofit and nongovernment organizations) with a demonstrated history of providing victim assistance, social services, legal services, shelter, or mental health services for victims of human trafficking.
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