Christy’s Cause Will Champion Human Trafficking Data Project | Florida Weekly

By ohtadmin - April 11, 2019

Christy’s Cause, an organization working to eradicate child sex trafficking through education, public awareness, restoration projects and justice initiatives, has been chosen to champion the Human Trafficking Data Project under the leadership of the 20th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office.

The lack of accurate data and privacy issues are major obstacles for law enforcement, victim services and legal professionals in quantifying the problem and securing adequate resources to combat human trafficking.

Developed by The Southwest Florida Women’s Foundation in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Human Trafficking Task Force, the mission of the HTDP is to provide insight into the patterns and trends of human trafficking in Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades and Hendry counties.

The database includes information about gender, age range, type of trafficking and risk factors. This information is centralized, analyzed and reported by the State Attorney’s Office. The resulting data will deepen understanding of human trafficking and will reflect trends over time and validate the specific resources needed to bolster the professional efforts of local and statewide agencies. Task force members will be able to share non-identifying information on the victims served by their respective agencies without violating privacy laws or risking the safety of their clients.

The project is currently in pilot phase.

“Our goal is to continue to implement the data program throughout the five-county 20th Judicial Circuit and to eventually make it available to the other 19 judicial circuits throughout Florida,” said State Attorney Amira Fox.

Christy’s Cause will work alongside the State Attorney’s Office to build relationships with more than 50 agencies and organizations to encourage their participation in sharing data with the SAO. Christy’s Cause will gather feedback from the agencies involved, answer questions and communicate the security of the information.

“We are grateful to Brenda Tate and The Southwest Florida Women’s Foundation for pioneering the development of this essential and innovative tool,” said Christy Ivie, founder of Christy’s Cause. “The data will provide a strong foundation to be able to improve laws to better protect the innocent victims of human trafficking and punish the criminals who prey upon them.”

About Christy’s Cause

Founded in Estero in 2015, Christy’s Cause collaborates with existing organizations that are providing services to victimized minors locally, nationally and globally. Christy’s Cause works to create awareness through speaking engagements, public service announcements, social media initiatives, training programs and community events.

For more information, visit www.ChristysCause.com, email info@christyscause.com or follow Christy’s Cause on Facebook or Instagram.