NAPERVILLE - SAFE Coalition for Human Rights (SAFECHR) is scheduled to host their 4th annual Global Anti-Human Trafficking Conference from November 3rd-6th at the Double Tree by Hilton, in Naperville-Lisle. This highly interactive networking and educational skills-enhancing conference attracts 300 attendees from over 70 countries with the intent to foster meaningful discussions and problem-solving breakout sessions.
Human Trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise globally with a yearly revenue of over 32 billion dollars. SAFECHR was established in 2014 in order to showcase leading strategies on how to combat this crisis of human trafficking and share working knowledge across national divides.
Dr. Kalyani Gopal says, “Through networks developed at the conference, over 55 children have been rescued, 10,000 individuals trained, cross-trainings have been developed and small organizations are now able to wield greater global influence on par with larger ones.”
Those attending the conference are from a variety of backgrounds – advocates in the anti-trafficking field, parents, law enforcement agents, legislators, attorneys, clinicians, judges, UN human rights organizations, coalition of African and European nations, refugee & immigration workers, as well as those teaching in schools, and working in social services. This year's conference also focuses on cross training and enhancing collaboration among Illinois social service agencies and CEOs and placing them on the global stage.
Clinical Psychologist, and Founder/President of SAFECHR, Dr. Kalyani Gopal, says that the goal for the conference is global collaboration and innovation. “Through networks developed at the conference, over 55 children have been rescued, 10,000 individuals trained, cross-trainings have been developed and small organizations are now able to wield greater global influence on par with larger ones.”
Dr Gopal says that what sets this conference apart from other human trafficking-specific trainings is the platform given to survivors of exploitation and focus on training beginners to advanced professionals. “We consider them the expert in this field. We include survivors on every panel.”
Highlights of this conference are the delegates from Europe and Africa who work directly in impacting policy and legislative efforts and engage in the painstaking and detailed world of criminal prosecution. High profile delegates from Albania, Italy, Uganda, DR Congo, India, Nepal, the Middle East and the United Nations speak to the challenges and solutions. Multiple networking opportunities are available to connect, exchange ideas and pitch for enhancing collaboration. This year’s, the “Illiana Collaborative” is an exciting new collective joining together NGOs from Illinois and Indiana is being hosted on November 4th to form a powerful entity for cross-sharing human resources.
About SAFECHR: SAFE Coalition for Human Rights is a 501c3 nonprofit registered with the Illinois Secretary of State in March 2014. SAFECHR was initially formed to support the objectives of SAFE 2014 Conference: Sex-Trafficking Awareness, Freedom, and Empowerment (SAFE). The team is almost entirely made up of volunteers donating their time, energy, and commitment to making the citizen-supported, survivor-driven, anti-human trafficking effort a success. Registration fees goes towards costs of venue and hosting. No profits are made rather survivors are supported.
SAFECHR has offices based out of Munster, IN & Chicago, IL. For more information, please visit www.safechr.org or reach out to Vasavi Chakka at 630-596-7567.