NJ Attorney General to Give Keynote Address at the NJCAHT Law Enforcement Conference Focusing on Prevention of Human Trafficking at FIFA 2026 World Cup
The New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking (NJCAHT) is holding a 2-Day Law Enforcement Conference on April 1st and 2nd in Eatontown NJ, to train law enforcement officers on survivor informed human trafficking prevention tactics in preparation for the FIFA 2026 World Cup. The conference is open to all law enforcement from the Tri-State Area as well as all professionals with an interest in this important subject.
The keynote address will be given by Matthew J. Platkin, Attorney General of New Jersey.
Survivor leaders from across the country will be giving presentations and appearing on panels, along with county, state and federal law enforcement officers with expertise in investigating and prosecuting sex and labor trafficking cases.
NJCAHT Vice President and Survivor Consultant, Gina Cavallo, who is helping to organize the conference, says:
“It is critical that survivors are part of the work to prevent human trafficking. Our voices are important and should no longer be silent. As someone who was once sold by traffickers at large sporting events and conventions, it’s critical to work collaboratively to prevent that happening in New Jersey and throughout the country, especially next year during the 2026 World Cup. Victims are under the control of their traffickers and exist in constant fear, so planting seeds of kindness, showing compassion and believing us are the first steps to gaining our trust, so that traffickers don’t get away with their crimes.”
David Ryan, Chief of Police (retired) who is the Coordinator of the Westchester County NY Anti-Trafficking Task Force, and has trained law enforcement around the country on this issue. Chief Ryan notes that:
"Human trafficking is a global concern but also a very local issue that needs our focus and attention. Local law enforcement agencies play a vital role in addressing this issue. Law Enforcement officers are likely to encounter trafficking victims and traffickers in their everyday work. As such, officers require the necessary training to assess during neighborhood patrols and observations, responses to a variety of calls for service and other scenarios the presence of trafficking or identifying those at risk for trafficking. By providing a variety of survivor informed trainings with a trauma-informed and victim centered approach to individual agencies or multi-disciplinary teams, we have been quite successful in bringing this issue to the forefront and also identifying victims and providing the necessary resources to both aid victims and hold the perpetrators accountable."
In addition to presentations by Gina Cavallo and Chief Ryan, other speakers and presenters will include: Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden, Theresa L. Hilton, AAG, Director, Div. of Criminal Justice; FBI Special Agent Vernon Addison, Lieutenant Paul Sciortino, Commander of the NJ State Police ICAC Task Force, Lieutenant Anthony Carugno – Head of the NJ State Police HT Unit, CAP Erika Halayko - Atlantic Co. Prosecutor’s Office, Tiffany M. Henderson - NCMEC Child Sex Trafficking Team, Judge Robert Lung, and Theresa Flores - Survivor & founder of The SOAP Project.
John-Michael Lander, a survivor and former athlete, will also be participating. He says it’s important to recognize that girls and boys, and men and women can all be victims of this crime:
“As a fourteen-year-old Olympic bound athlete, the adults responsible for my training exploited and sex trafficked me throughout my four years of high school while I represented the USA in international competitions for springboard and platform diving. During this time, not a single person expressed concern about or questioned the situation, they were influenced by my appearance, my background, my family, and the identities of those who exploited me. Coming from a rural farming community, such things as sex trafficking were thought to be impossible, because everyone seemed to know each other and their business. I never saw or thought of myself as vulnerable. No one wanted to acknowledge that I may have been exploited, let alone trafficked. I was the hometown hero at fourteen for representing the USA in international meets. Trafficking discriminates against no one, it can happen to anyone, any age, anywhere, and at any time.”
Partnering on the conference with the NJCAHT are Monmouth County Sheriff's Office, Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office and IOFA (International Organization for Adolescents). The Networking Reception being held on the evening of the first day of the conference is being sponsored by Connect For Freedom.
The objectives of the conference are: to help officers recognize the gravity of this exploitative, abusive criminal enterprise that discriminates against no one; to develop and maintain a victim-centric, trauma informed approach to human trafficking investigation and prosecution; to
access a toolbox of national, state, and local contacts and resources of service providers and investigative resources; to reinforce the multifaceted approach towards human trafficking by understanding trauma; and to use education to prevent and mitigate trafficking, especially in large scale events such as the World Cup.
More information and registration for this conference can be found at: https://www.safernj.org/events...
About the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking
The New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking (NJCAHT) is a volunteer-based 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2011 with a mission to unite NJ communities to end human trafficking. It provides trauma-informed and survivor-informed awareness training in schools, healthcare, financial services, and all community groups wishing to learn how to end sex and labor trafficking in New Jersey. Comprising over 150 volunteers and more than 200 affiliates including nonprofits, faith-based organizations, academics, law enforcement, and direct service providers it works to empower communities with the knowledge of what human trafficking is, how to prevent it, and how to support those affected by it. More information at: www.safernj.org