The Maryland Human Trafficking Initiative for Children & Youth (MHTI) is a three-year project to improve statewide coordination and multi-disciplinary collaboration in responding to human trafficking involving children and youth, including both labor and sex trafficking. This initiative was established with funding from the Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime and is led by the Ruth Young Center for Families and Children (RYC) at UM SSW, in partnership with the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, Governor’s Office on Crime Control and Prevention, Maryland Departments of Human Resources and Juvenile Services, and U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The primary activities of the MHTI are:
Primary goals:
1. Create multidisciplinary teams to better investigate & prosecute child trafficking cases in a victim-centered manner.
2. Train relevant state professionals including law enforcement, service providers, medical professionals, child welfare & juvenile justice workers, prosecutors & judges.
3. Build network of specialized nonprofits with capacity & knowledge to provide comprehensive trauma-informed services to victims.
Our partners for this initiative include the following service providers: