The Department of Justice awarded $100 million to help victims and combat human trafficking across the country. Preble Street’s Anti-Trafficking Services will get $500,000 over a three-year period. Those services have already helped 200 people in Maine since it began in 2013, according to Preble Street. In the last year, staff saw a 20% increase … Read more
Preble Street is striving to raise awareness of sexual and labor exploitation and help survivors reclaim their lives. Myriad obstacles stand in the way of well-being and independence for the people Preble Street serves. But for few are the barriers as brutal as for the survivors of human trafficking with whom Preble Street Anti-Trafficking Services works. … Read more
Human trafficking is not a new crime, but it has recently prompted heightened attention and action among social services, legal services, law enforcement, and the general public. Human trafficking victims/survivors are forced or coerced — through sexual, physical, psychological violence, and/or torture — to perform a variety of labor including sex work, domestic services, childcare, … Read more
Hundreds attended the Health Care Response to Human Trafficking conference, put on by Preble Street Anti-Trafficking Services and community partners. “We’re here to really raise awareness and to build connection between the health services field and anti-trafficking efforts across the state,” said Fiona Mason, Chief Program Officer for Preble Street. “So we’re really trying to … Read more
Survivors of human trafficking rallied Thursday in Augusta to increase public awareness about forced laborers or sex workers in Maine and to advocate for a bill allowing trafficking victims to have criminal convictions vacated. They were joined by representatives from Maine nonprofit organizations including Preble Street Anti-Trafficking Services. Read more…
It is happening here in Maine and many people are not aware of it. We are talking about human trafficking, and it comes in many forms. Fiona Mason and Donna Yellen from Preble Street’s Anti-trafficking Coalition join us to talk about this problem in our state. Feel free to ask questions and we will try … Read more
This past New Year’s Eve, a man and woman were arrested in Bangor for allegedly forcing a 13-year-old Maine girl into prostitution. This child, who was listed as a missing person, was being sold for sex through ads on the Internet. A Bangor police officer, posing as a John, arranged online to meet the girl … Read more
Combating sex trafficking internationally and in Maine. Guests: Ruchira Gupta, Founder and President of ApneAap Women Worldwide , a grassroots organization that has helped thousands of women access safe housing, education, job training and other resources. Meg Elam, Assistant District Attorney, Cumberland County Fiona Mason, Director of Social Work, Preble Street dee Clarke, trafficking survivor … Read more
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage is seeking to raise awareness of human trafficking. The Republican governor will sign a proclamation on Friday that designates next week as “Human Trafficking Awareness Week.” He will be joined by Republican Sen. Amy Volk, who sponsored a bill last session that, among other things, made sex trafficking … Read more
PORTLAND, Maine – Some of Maine’s highest-profile cases of trafficking in drugs and child pornography were recalled Tuesday in Portland, where the local, state and federal law enforcement officers involved were awarded for their work. In a late morning ceremony, U.S. Attorney Thomas Delahanty also handed out awards to five others, largely for ongoing advocacy … Read more