NSU to Host Child Protection Conference

Florida State Senator Lauren Book (D-Plantation) Scheduled To Attend

** EXCELLENT PHOTO & STORY OPPORTUNITY **

Event Focuses on Child Abuse, Human Trafficking and More

FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – If you think slavery doesn’t exist in the United States, think again.

One of the most heinous crimes, and one that is practically invisible to most Americans, is that of human trafficking. For many, it’s a quick story they see on the evening news or read in the morning newspaper. What they don’t realize is that it goes much deeper than that – for all intents and purposes, a modern-day form of slavery. In many cases, this crime involves the most innocent and vulnerable of our society – children.

On a daily basis there are thousands of officials – from law enforcement to medical practitioners to mental health counselors – on the front lines combating this crime. As a way to bring those individuals – and others in related fields – together to network and share information and best practices, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is hosting the Child Protection Conference: Building Resilience in Changing Times.

The event is scheduled from 8:45 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday, February 22^nd at NSU’s Don Taft University Center, 3301 College Ave., Davie.

It’s significant that NSU is hosting this conference as recent statistics show that Florida was the state with the third-highest number of human trafficking cases*, behind California (1) and Texas (2). There are three basic categories of human trafficking: (1) sex trafficking; (2) sex trafficking/forced labor; (3) force labor. Of the total number of victims, approximately 25% were children.

The event’s speakers are:

• Ronald Book, P.A., founding member of Lauren’s Kids, Inc., an organization created to fight childhood sexual abuse. He also serves as chairman of the Lauren’s Kids Foundation, a charitable entity founded with his daughter to prevent childhood sexual abuse through education and awareness;
• Thomas McInerney, Co-Commander of the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and a Sergeant with the Broward Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC)/ Human Trafficking Unit;
• Grace Telesco, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor at NSU with expertise in sociology, social work and criminal justice. As an active member of law enforcement, she was appointed Interagency Coordinator by the Bush Administration following the September 11th attacks; and
• Tony Sparks and Rodney Mann, while managing several parallel efforts for Department of State and Department of Defense, formed their non-profit called Phantom Rescue, Inc., an organization that deploys professionally trained teams around the globe to find children abducted into the sex trafficking industry, assist authorities with stopping the abductors, physically rescue the children and bring them home.

Florida State Senator Book (D-Plantation) will be attending the event and introducing her father for his presentation. The Senator is an internationally respected and renowned child advocate, former classroom teacher and best-selling author. She is also one of 42 million survivors of child sexual abuse living in the U.S. today. Because of her experience, Book founded Lauren’s Kids, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation, more than a decade ago.

This conference welcomes participants from around the world who belong to a variety of back-grounds, organizations and agencies. Forensic interviewers, child protection workers, law enforcement professionals, tribal members and service providers, child advocates, medical and mental health professionals, educators, social workers, investigators, clergy and domestic violence/sexual assault victim advocates are invited to attend this conference.

*According to Human Trafficking Search 2017 Data

 

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About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, NSU is ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Top 200 National Research Universities and is a dynamic, private research university providing high-quality educational and research programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. Established in 1964, NSU now includes 16 colleges, the 215,000-square-foot Center for Collaborative Research, a private JK-12 grade school, the Mailman Segal Center for Human Development with specialists in Autism, the world-class NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, and the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center, which is Florida’s largest public library. NSU has campuses in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Miramar, Orlando, Palm Beach, and Tampa, Florida, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico, while maintaining a presence online globally. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is one of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. For more information, please visit www.nova.edu.

 

February 4, 2019

 

MEDIA CONTACT

Joe Donzelli | Office of Media Relations
Nova Southeastern University
954-262-2159 (office) | 954-661-4571 (cell)
jdonzelli@nova.edu | www.nova.edu | @NSU_Joe

 

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