January 04, 2024 at 7:30 am
At Tower Club One Financial Plaza, 28th floor 100 S.E. Third Ave. Fort Lauderdale
According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline’s latest figures, in 2021, 781 cases were identified in 2021. Those matters involved 1,253 victims. Human trafficking involves three major dimensions, including sex trafficking, labor trafficking and sex and labor trafficking. Venues for sex trafficking include, but are not limited to restaurants, hotels and motels, illicit massage parlors and spas, bars and clubs. Venues for labor trafficking include agriculture and farms, domestic work, construction, and restaurants. Victims include minors and adults, and predominantly females.
Florida is a national hub for trafficking, ranking third in the nation for reports of human trafficking. Children are being sold for sex in every county in Florida, including Broward County. Predators targeting and luring children online have created a new avenue for exploiters. Laws need to be enforced. But how are these laws being enforced? How are these perpetrators getting caught and how can we be more aware of solutions? Can we ever reach a solution?
This forum is an update – what’s the latest information, keeping our members informed of how to recognize it, what to do, and who to inform if they encounter it.
Thomas McInerney
Co-Founder, South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Commander | Sergeant, Broward Sheriffs Office
Danielle Lennox
Assistant State Attorney, Sexual Battery Unit, Head Of Human Trafficking Division, Office Of The State Attorney
Rozeta Mahboubi
Broward Regional Director, Florida Restaurant Lodging & Association
Particpant
FBI, Violent Crimes Against Children & Human Trafficking Squad
Detective Adam Granit
Police Department | Town Of Davie, Criminal Investigation Division South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children / Human Trafficking Task Force
Dr. Roza Pati
Professor Of Law Director, Graduate Program In Intercultural Human Rights Founding Director, John J. Brunetti Human Trafficking Academy, St. Thomas University (Moderator)
Sgt. McInerney is a commander in the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, which is run by the BSO and focuses on identifying, investigating, and arresting people who sexually exploit children online. He advises parents to educate themselves about social media apps that their children use as well as being aware of chat rooms that young people often frequent.
Danielle Lennox is an Assistant State Attorney and the Head of the Human Trafficking Division at the Broward State Attorney’s Office where she has worked for over 8 years. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Political Science. After graduation, she moved to Broward County where she attended Nova Southeastern University Law School for her Juris Doctor. Through her role as the Head of the Human Trafficking division, Danielle partners with law enforcement, both locally and federally to ensure that the suspects are prosecuted, and the survivors of these crimes are protected.
Rozeta is a seasoned tourism professional who has worked in the Tourism and Hospitality industry for over 25 years. Her past titles include Executive Director/CEO of Martin County Convention & Visitors Bureau and Tourism Director at the Hollywood Office of Tourism in Broward County. Some of the highlights in her career triumphs are promotional efforts for pre & post openings of the Diplomat Resort & Spa and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
In addition to Destination Marketing Rozeta held various Sales & Marketing management positions in a number of luxury and boutique hotels such as Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Inn on Fifth in Naples and Hilton Fort Lauderdale Airport. In recent years she began her consulting firm working across industry segments and markets such as Airlines, Entertainment, Events, Shopping and Dining – among her list of recent clients are Gulfstream Park and interCaribbean Airways.
Detective Adam Granit, Police Department| Town of Davie, Criminal Investigation Division
South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children / Human Trafficking Task Force
FBI Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Task Force
Prof. Dr. Roza Pati is a tenured Professor of Law at St. Thomas University College of Law, where she also co-directs the programs of Master of Laws and the Doctorate of the Science of Law in Intercultural Human Rights. Inspired by her work against human trafficking since the early 1990s, Dr. Pati founded in 2010 the John J. Brunetti Human Trafficking Academy, an institute she continues to direct.
Dr. Pati is a prolific scholar, who has written extensively in the field of international law, human rights, human trafficking and international criminal law. She is a globally published author of books, book chapters and law review articles in multiple languages and she lectures at academic, governmental and inter-governmental institutions around the world. She earned her Doctorate of the Science of Law degree, summa cum laude, at the University of Potsdam, Germany, her LL.M., summa cum laude, at St. Thomas University College of Law, and her B.A., highest honors, and LL.B., honors, at the University of Tirana, Albania.
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