January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and the Warren County Board of County Commissioners joins the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office to encourage organizations, anti-trafficking entities, law enforcement officials, survivor advocates, communities of faith, businesses, and private citizens throughout the county to raise awareness about human trafficking.

The Commissioners presented a proclamation to Acting Prosecutor Jessica Cardone during their January 22 meeting.

“This is a very tough subject, and it affects our most vulnerable, including young children,” Commissioner Lori Ciesla said. New Jersey is a big hub for these crimes, she said, and asked everyone to be vigilant.

Commissioner James R. Kern III, who serves as Public Safety liaison, noted that President Trump recently issued an executive order that linked illegal immigration with smuggling and drug trafficking as part of an invasion, allowing utilization of the military, with plans to introduce harsher penalties. “We appreciate his leadership that we sorely needed,” Kern said. He was also appreciative of the Prosecutor’s vigilance on the issue.

Commissioner Director Jason J. Sarnoski said he thought some of the policies that the state and Governor Murphy had set with respect to being a Sanctuary State exacerbated the human trafficking problem in New Jersey. “Hopefully we can rein some of this back with help from our local law enforcement and Prosecutor,” he said.

Cardone thanked the commissioners for their support, saying this was important to her, the office, and the community as a whole. “Please know the Prosecutor’s Office is committed to raising awareness, supporting victims of human trafficking, to training law enforcement, and to prosecuting these cases to the fullest extent of the law,” she said.

Cardone was proud to report that Warren County is leading New Jersey as one of the first counties to provide Human Trafficking training to a law enforcement liaison in every municipal police department.  This training strengthens the detection and investigation of these crimes while being sensitive to the needs of victims that endured this abuse. 

In 2000, the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act became the first comprehensive federal law to provide for the protection of trafficking victims and prosecution of traffickers within the United States. Every year since 2010, the U.S. President has dedicated the month to raise awareness about human trafficking and to educate the public about how to identify and prevent this crime. 

In February 2023, the State of New Jersey created a Human Trafficking Unit to deal with the increase in human trafficking cases in the state. New Jersey is a main corridor in the northeast United States for facilitating and transporting victims of human trafficking, and this scourge will not be eliminated without a concerted effort among all communities to be educated and vigilant of such crimes.

To learn more about New Jersey’s Human Trafficking Unit, including a Hotline to report tips and leads, visit www.njoag.gov/programs/human-trafficking

If you or someone you know is in danger of human trafficking, please call 911 or the New Jersey State Human Trafficking Hotline at 855-END-NJ-HT (855-363-6548). If you are a survivor of human trafficking in need of services, please call the National Hotline at Call 1-888-373-7888 (TTY: 711) or *Text 233733