Position Statement – 2023

S.4375 (Fernandez)

Support

The Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York (WBASNY) supports S.4375 which would provide for the establishment of a standardized human trafficking recognition training program for private transportation services.

This bill would add a new section to the Social Services Law to require transportation services, such as rail passenger service, motorbus service, and ferry passenger service, to train all customer-facing employees to undergo human trafficking recognition training from the Division of Criminal Justice Services, in conjunction with the Office of Temporary and Disability Services, and the Department of Labor. Specifically, the training will include addressing the nature of human trafficking, the legal definition of human trafficking, how to identify victims of human trafficking, and available resources for victims of human trafficking.

New York State is an epicenter for all modes of domestic and international travel, and the vast majority of trafficked victims are women and children. WBASNY supports this bill as it will provide much needed training of those who interact frequently with trafficked victims, which will empower transportation employees to recognize and report instances of trafficking.