Morristown Stands Strong Against Human Trafficking

Morristown stood against modern human slavery Sunday, the Daily Record reported. A group of residents came together in Morristown Green for the Stand Against Human Trafficking, a nine-hour rally to bring attention to the practice of selling humans as sex workers and laborers.

Speakers shared their thoughts on the issue, many noting a particular concern in New Jersey because of Super Bowl XLVIII, which comes to MetLife Stadium in February.

New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking member Sue Rosenthal told the Morristown town council Tuesday that the Morris County Prosecutor’s office is aware of human trafficking in the area, particularly due to the proximity to the route 95 corridor.

Rosenthal’s group exists to end Human Trafficking in the State, country and the world through education, advocacy and assistance to survivors. Human Trafficking is a form of modern day slavery.  It is a rapidly growing criminal industry second only to drug dealing and equal in scope to arms dealing.  Human Trafficking involves the use of force, fraud and/or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor.

Rosenthal said that large-scale professional sporting events like the upcoming Super Bowl will “bring the traffickers out.”

According to the Daily Record article as the orators spoke, time passed, which held a significance: Each of the nine hours of the event signified 3 million people enslaved worldwide, the article said.

Among those who attended were members of the Original Music School in Morristown, who performed to those in attendance. One of those performers, Randolph's Lauren Smith, said she was pleased to be out there to "support a great cause."

The event was organized in a joint effort of the Morris County Human Relations Commission and the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking.

The New Jersey Human Trafficking Task Force has launched a new hotline for people to call to report suspected incidents of human trafficking in the state of New Jersey, according to a press release from the state attorney General’s Office.

The hotline – 1-855-END-NJ-HT (1-855-363-6548) –  serves as a constant reminder of New Jersey’s commitment to end human trafficking in the state. The hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by detectives in the Human Trafficking Unit within the Division of Criminal Justice.

Preparation for the overflow of illegal activities stemming from the Super Bowl has spread out as far as Rockland County, NY.

To become involved in the NJ Coalition Against Human Trafficking contact crc@jfedgmw.org or 973-929-3087.