Human Trafficking

Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center provides leadership for community efforts to enhance the prevention, identification, and response to victims of human trafficking and exploitation. Pat’s Place works closely with our community partners to ensure that Mecklenburg County’s response to suspected or identified victims of human trafficking is coordinated, comprehensive, and employs trauma-informed practices. Strategies include community-developed response guidelines, professional and community education, increased identification and assessment, and data collection.

These efforts build upon the work that was accomplished via Project NO REST. An initiative of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work, Project NO REST was a statewide project intended to increase the awareness of and enhance the response to human trafficking of North Carolina youth and young adults through age 25. The project plan tested best practices in 17 counties through five pilot sites, including Mecklenburg County. Pat’s Place is honored to have served as the lead agency for Project NO REST in Mecklenburg County.

For more information, or to find out how you can help, please contact Shawna Pagano, Director of Education and Community Engagement at shawna@patsplacecac.org.