We came together in the Fall of 2012, to help educate our community and spread awareness of local human trafficking issues in Alachua County, Florida. At the time, a young woman came forward who had spent years of her life as a victim of child sex trafficking. Understanding her long-term recovery needs, it became apparent that adequate resources for victims and survivors of human trafficking were lacking in our county.
The Alachua County Coalition Against Human Trafficking Initiative was held May 2013 with about 100 in attendance. Our mission was to build a safety network of partnerships that will work together to identify, rescue, and restore victims of all forms of human trafficking within Alachua County. Four committees were formed to start addressing specific problems related to victim services/advocacy, criminal justice, awareness, and education. Since the initiative, we have had regular meetings with training by professionals in the fields of law enforcement, criminal justice, victim advocacy and social services