Maryland Human Trafficking Initiative

Where We Started

Healthy Teen Network supported the Maryland Human Trafficking Initiative. This initiative was established with funding from the Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime and was led by the Ruth Young Center for Families and Children at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, in partnership with the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, Governor’s Office on Crime Control and Prevention, Maryland Departments of Human Resources and Juvenile Services, and U.S. Attorney’s Office.

What It Was

The Maryland Human Trafficking Initiative for Children & Youth (MHTI) was a three-year project aimed at improving statewide coordination and multi-disciplinary collaboration in responding to human trafficking involving children and youth, including both labor and sex trafficking.

The primary activities of the initiative were to:

1. Create multidisciplinary teams to better investigate and prosecute child trafficking cases in a victim-centered manner.
2. Train relevant state professionals including law enforcement, service providers, medical professionals, child welfare & juvenile justice workers, prosecutors & judges.
3. Build a network of specialized nonprofits with the capacity and knowledge to provide comprehensive trauma-informed services to victims.

In addition to Healthy Teen Network, partners for this initiative included:

• Baltimore Child Abuse Center
• Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention
• Maryland Courts
  Maryland Department of Human Services
• SAFE Center
  TurnAround, Inc.

The Resources