Westchester advocates, officials warn about human trafficking ahead of World Cup
Officials say they expect an uptick in trafficking in the metropolitan area during this time.
As the World Cup heads to the New York-New Jersey area, advocates are warning about another issue that often comes with major events - human trafficking.
People from around the world are expected to pour into our region for The World Cup, according to David Ryan. He's the director of Westchester's Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force.
"They look at this as the equivalent of 10 Super Bowls because it's such a large event. You're talking close to 1.5 million people that are going to be coming into the metropolitan area," Ryan says.
But as the excitement builds, advocates like Ryan are raising awareness about the risk of human trafficking.
"These large events bring in the need for it. The underlying labor support, the commercial sex trafficking that follows these events," Ryan says. "We've learned a lot about it in the last 10 years, and we're certainly doing better, but for sure we're going to see an uptick in the metropolitan area."
The concern has also prompted local action.
Officials in cities like White Plains say they're stepping up efforts ahead of The World Cup.
"Well, we are increasing patrols and increasing a lot of our initiatives due to The World Cup. We met with hotels, we met with the hospital, urgent cares to talk about human trafficking," says White Plains Public Safety Commissioner Wade Hardy.
District Attorney Susan Cacace has even released a public service announcement highlighting warning signs and reminding residents that help is available.
"You don't have to stay silent," Cacace says.
While advocates say trafficking happens every day, Ryan says it's especially important for the community to stay alert during this busy season that also includes America's 250th and Fleet Week.
"It's going to be a burden on the system. It's going to tax a lot of resources, but the people that do this work are as prepared as they can be," Ryan says.
