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Anita Alvarez
Cook County State's Attorney
Communications Department
Chicago, IL 60602
(312) 603-3423
saomedia@cookcountygov.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

August 26, 2010

The Cook County State’s Attorney's Office has been chosen as one of only four governmental agencies in the nation to receive federal funding from the U.S. Department of Justice to expand efforts to combat the human trafficking of minor children, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez announced today. 

The grant will provide the State’s Attorney’s Office with $300,000 over the course of two years to be used for training, programming and support for social service agencies to link children at risk or those involved in commercial sexual exploitation to essential services.

"We are honored to have been selected as one of the four agencies to receive this important grant after a nationwide submission process,” Alvarez said.  “This funding will help us greatly in our ongoing efforts to investigate and prosecute the sex trafficking of minors and to help provide important social services to children who become caught up in the sex trade.”

The announcement of the grant comes on the heels of passage of the Illinois Safe Children Act, a new law that enhances protections for juveniles caught in the sex trade and provides new legal tools to police and prosecutors to target those who prostitute children. Alvarez was instrumental in passage of the legislation and her office has led the charge in efforts to address the issue, forming a first-of-its-kind Human Trafficking Initiative to investigate and prosecute these cases. 

Funding from the grant will be used to provide specialized training for assistant state’s attorneys to help them identify potential human trafficking victims when they come to court on seemingly unrelated cases.  Resources will also be designated to establish a new staff position to monitor trafficking cases as they go through the criminal justice system and to help ensure that victims are put in touch with appropriate counseling and support services.

Funding will also be directed to two local agencies that provide services for the victims of trafficking.  The Salvation Army and the Center on Halsted will receive funds to support their human trafficking programs, enabling the organizations to hire case workers, provide support and counseling services to victims, train law enforcement and conduct public awareness campaigns throughout Cook County.

The Cook County State's Attorney' Office was one of only four governmental agencies in the nation awarded funds. The other recipients of the grant are the City of Boston, the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

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