Polaris Project New Jersey launched its New Jersey Trafficking Intervention Program (NJ TIP) in August 2005 in response to the lack of services available for victims of human trafficking and the lack of a structural response to address human trafficking in New Jersey.

The program operates with federal support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Justice, and with private support from individual donors and foundations. 

Activities

Victim Outreach and Identification:  Polaris Project NJ conducts both direct victim outreach and community outreach to increase victim identification in New Jersey. Target areas include northern New Jersey cities in Essex, Hudson, Bergen, Union, and Passaic counties, as well as Atlantic City in southern New Jersey. Both trafficking survivors and staff collaborated closely to develop and refine direct outreach methodologies. Direct outreach is conducted in institutional settings such as the juvenile detention centers, adult jails, and courts in collaboration with criminal justice staff. In non-institutional setting, we conduct direct outreach on streets and stations for public transportation. Target outreach populations include women and children in pimp-controlled street prostitution, Latino sex-trafficking victims in strip clubs, bars, and residential brothels, and Korean commercial sex networks including massage parlors, domestic pimp-controlled street prostitution. Outreach materials are currently available in English and Spanish, which includes information on red flag characteristics of victims, how to get help, and the phone number of the Polaris Project New Jersey Hotlines.

Polaris Project NJ operates four toll-free, 24-hour hotlines in English and Spanish.  Staff and Fellows fluent in the respective languages operate the hotlines.  The below two hotlines have been operating since Summer 2007.

New Jersey Dream Catchers Hotline (English): 866-922-9333
 
New Jersey Linea Segura (Spanish Safe Line) 1-866-257-5519

Victim Services and Protection:  The NJ TIP provides case management services to victims to address the lack of specialized services available in New Jersey.  Services provided include emergency, short-term and long-term case management services for victims of trafficking.  Services provided through case management include: crisis intervention, criminal justice advocacy, court accompaniment, locating resources and referrals, intepretation, emotional support, and more.  Case management services are provided by a social worker who has attained her Master’s Degree in Social Work.  

Policy Advocacy:  Polaris Project New Jersey has trained and provided technical assistance to state legislators, and collaborates to close legal loopholes in the New Jersey State statute used by traffickers.

Prevention and Youth Empowerment:  Polaris Project New Jersey staff conduct outreach to youth to develop resiliency skills in locations with youth at the highest risk for trafficking.

Task Force, Coalition, and Infrastructure-Building:  Polaris Project’s New Jersey office has spearheaded the mobilization of two city-wide local anti-trafficking coalitions in Newark and Atlantic County. The two urban areas were identified as high-risk locations for the presence of both sex and labor trafficking in the State of New Jersey.  Each local coalition was launched through its own initial half-day human trafficking workshop sponsored by Polaris Project and a wide array of community partners. Polaris Project also serves on New Jersey Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force led by the Division of Criminal Justice.

Training, Techincal Assistance, and Strategic Planning: Community outreach efforts focus on collaborating with and training intermediaries who may come into contact with potential trafficking victims in the course of their daily work. These efforts include local trainings and presentations and the distribution of outreach materials in organizational settings.   Polaris Project staff provide technical assistance and training materials for law enforcement and social service providers.  These materials include toolkits, comparative charts on sex trafficking networks, and best practice documents outlining innovative strategies for victim identification. Program staff also participate in law enforcement training efforts through a partnership with the New Jersey Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force. 

Polaris Project coordinated the Atlantic City site of a multi-city program launched by the US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to systemically address the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC). Polaris Project and local partners formed a CSEC Task Force that consists of law enforcement, juvenile justice staff, child protective agencies, service providers, legislators, and other key stakeholders. A CSEC Training Institute was held to provide in-depth understanding and intervention skills for local stakeholders. In addition, the Task Force developed a Community Response Plan that identifies the gaps and challenges in the system and unfolds a road map to developing community infrastructure to prevent and intervene on CSEC.

Leadership Development:  The efforts of our New Jersey office have been supported by the work of numerous interns and volunteers since the program’s inception. Through our internship program, we strive to develop future leaders in the anti-trafficking movement through an intensive service, research, and advocacy experience.

Grassroots Community Mobilization: Polaris Project New Jersey is the founding member of the Fight Human Trafficking Meetup in New Jersey, a grassroots group of students, activists, community members, and professionals dedicated to ending human trafficking in New Jersey and beyond.  In addition, Polaris Project’s New Jersey office supports student mobilization at prominent universities such as Princeton, Columbia, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Georgian Court, Drew, Montclair State, and Kean Universities.  We have helped to create student groups, presented on panels and at student workshops, and worked with university academic departments.

Contact Information

P.O. Box 32489 Newark, NJ 07102
Tel: 973-624-5454
Fax: 973-624-5400
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it