Letter From The Board

Chair

To the Citizens of Southwest Louisiana,
I am very honored to be the Board Chair of the Alliance to Fight Human Trafficking in SWLA. The Alliance has put together a diverse board made up of judges, law-enforcement, prosecutors, clergy, juvenile justice, counselors, and business leaders to combat this terrible crime. For those that do not know, human trafficking is akin to modern-day slavery. Taking the God-given rights of human beings and forcing them into unsafe and unwanted practices is against everything we, as Americans, stand for.

My first introduction to human trafficking occurred many years ago when I served as the Director of the Juvenile Detention Center. I met a 14-year-old girl whose story shocked and sickened me. Her parents had become deeply indebted to an individual. Instead of paying back this individual with money, this girl’s parents gave him custody of her, and she was trafficked through multiple cities and states. She was eventually returned to her home state and reunited with family with the assistance of multiple community partners.

This tragedy made us aware this is a growing issue in our community and that we are not alone in trying to figure out how to combat this horrible crime. A lot of research was done, and many trainings and contacts were made across the state and nation to see how we could defeat this crime. What was discovered is that there is not one way to provide the services, reporting, training, and awareness of human trafficking. That’s where the Alliance came into existence.

This crime needs to be eradicated. But it takes a village coming together to be aware of the signs of trafficking and to provide life-sustaining services. It takes bold legislation from our delegates at the State and National levels to pass tough anti-trafficking laws that go after the traffickers of humans. We need you to get involved. Whether it is going to a training, becoming part of one of the working committees, or contacting your legislator and asking them for assistance in housing, funding, therapy for survivors, or tougher legislation…the Alliance has a spot for you.

We can, with your help, put an end to the trafficking of humans in SWLA.

Respectfully,

William A. “Bill” Sommers

Gene Pittman

Secretary

To Our Valued Stakeholders and Partners,

I am proud to serve as the Board Secretary and Human Trafficking Task Force Committee Chair for the Alliance to Fight Human Trafficking in SWLA. I am a lifelong resident of Calcasieu Parish and have been with the sheriff’s office since 1994, where I have worked in multiple divisions.

We are honored that you have taken an interest in supporting the Alliance to Fight Human Trafficking in SWLA. The Alliance supports, oversees, and seeks to fund the SWLA Human Trafficking Task Force, which began as a collaborative effort between victim services providers and law enforcement. The Alliance seeks to increase public awareness through education in an effort to identify and provide services to the victims of human trafficking as well as criminally prosecute these vile suspects.

Human trafficking is uncomfortable to acknowledge and discuss. The lack of public acknowledgment has hindered progress in the fight against human trafficking. It is time we acknowledge that in SWLA, we are not immune to the proliferation of sex and labor trafficking across the globe. From the beginning of my involvement in mobilizing efforts in our community to fight this terrible crime of victimization, I have stated, “In order to fight an enemy, you must be aware of its existence and know exactly what it is you are fighting against.” In the case of human trafficking, it’s what we are fighting for, or better yet, who we are fighting for; the victims. The Alliance to Fight Human Trafficking in SWLA seeks to do just that.

We seek your support.

Respectfully,

Gene Pittman