Human Trafficking Legal Center

Programs: Public education and outreach: the human trafficking legal center conducted extensive training on human trafficking throughout the united states. The organization worked closely with trafficking survivor consultants to increase the quality of training programs for pro bono attorneys and other professionals. In 2017, the human trafficking legal center conducted cutting-edge research on trafficking victims' interactions with health care providers. The human trafficking legal center co-published a fact sheet with a partner non-profit organization on health care lessons learned from federal criminal indictments and civil trafficking cases. The human trafficking legal center also continued to work with disability rights organizations to share the organization's 2016 research findings on trafficking of persons with disabilities. The human trafficking legal center used its extensive case databases to identify trends in the human trafficking field, focusing on the dearth of labor trafficking criminal cases and the failure to award restitution to trafficking victims. The human trafficking legal center continued to conduct public outreach to educate prosecutors and attorneys on issues of mandatory restitution for trafficking victims. The human trafficking legal center staff members engaged in extensive public education, including presentations at universities, law schools, and community organizations nationwide. The organization also expanded work on international strategic litigation, collaborating with non-profit organizations in asia to increase accountability for trafficking.

case management and referral of trafficking cases to pro bono counsel: the human trafficking legal center referred 64 cases to pro bono attorneys for legal services in 2017. These referrals leveraged millions of dollars in free legal services for trafficking victims who otherwise would not have had legal representation. In addition to these referrals, the human trafficking legal center handled a small number of immigration cases in-house, representing clients directly.

training of pro bono attorneys: the human trafficking legal center has trained more than 3,400 pro bono attorneys at law firms and non-governmental organizations across the united states. The human trafficking legal center provides these training sessions free of charge. The curriculum includes instruction for pro bono attorneys on criminal restitution for trafficking victims, civil litigation on behalf of trafficking victims, and immigration relief for victims. The human trafficking legal center has reached thousands of attorneys through live training sessions, national webinars, and national conferences.