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Coalition recognized for their efforts to fight human trafficking

rrcaht.org/

The City and Monroe County is recognizing a local group for its work to educate the community about human trafficking in the Rochester area.

Officials this week read a proclamation honoring the group, the Rochester regional Coalition Against Human Trafficking, or RRCAHT.

Chair Celia McIntosh says the group formed five years ago in response to the increase in the number of trafficking victims.

"Human trafficking is basically modern day slavery.  It effects children, women, men, worldwide.  They are exploited by force or coersion,"she says.

McIntosh says a common misconception is that human trafficking is a foreign epidemic, and doesn't happen here in the United States or in Rochester.

"It does happen here.  It's happening in our back yards, and we need to step up and identify the problem, and start paying attention to this," she said.

McIntosh says R-CAT works to eradicate human trafficking through education, advocacy and networking.

This is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention month, and on January 27th, an Anti-Human Trafficking Conference will be held at the University of Rochester.