BALTIMORE, MD—United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur announced on Thursday that the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs has awarded $1,178,492.00 in grant funding to the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), in partnership with the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force (MHTTF), Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention (GOCCP), and Maryland Departments of Human Services and Juvenile Services to support establishment of a comprehensive approach to improving outcomes for child and youth victims of human trafficking.

The award will support creation of a statewide labor trafficking multidisciplinary team that will formalize and institutionalize the management of cases in a victim-centered manner, development of a unified statewide training strategy for professionals that includes victim-centered and trauma-informed best practices for handling human trafficking cases involving children and youth, and establishment of a survivor-informed, coordinated service response for children and youth.

“The Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to dedicate significant resources to fighting human trafficking,” said United States Attorney Robert K. Hur. “We urge the public to think of human trafficking victims and survivors during this month, Human Trafficking Awareness Month. The Department of Justice is proud to support our partners and victims through financial grants and robust prosecutions that hold human traffickers accountable. We will continue to work with our partners to prosecute those who commit human trafficking crimes, and to support the victims of these cruel and despicable crimes.”

In addition, in 2018, the Office of Justice Programs awarded $562,500 over a three-year period to the Prince George’s County Police Department and the University of Maryland Baltimore (on behalf of the University of Maryland Support, Advocacy, Freedom, and Empowerment (SAFE) Center) to support the Prince George’s County Human Trafficking Task Force.

This grant funds three caseworkers to assist with 24/7 crisis response and comprehensive services; additional investigative resources within the Prince George’s County Police Department focused on human trafficking; one full-time additional forensic investigator within the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office dedicated to human trafficking; and one additional Assistant State’s Attorney within the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office dedicated to prosecuting human trafficking.

For more information about OJP awards, visit the OJP Awards Data webpage.