On Nov. 21, FALA New York organized a CLE program and panel discussion on Human Trafficking issues, co-sponsored by AABANY. The panel addressed the impact of human trafficking on Asian-Pacific Islanders, with special attention to Filipino trafficking victims.
The panel started with what constitutes human trafficking (under the Trafficking Protocol of 2000 adopted by the UN, as well as American laws), challenges facing human trafficking victims in the United States, legal barriers to obtaining effective and timely assistance, and abuses of the relevant laws in civil litigation. The panel continued with areas for reform and advocacy, including the potential impact of proposed legislation. A human trafficking victim also joined us at Phillips Lytle and shared her story with everyone.
The panel was comprised of:
- Hon. Pamela K. Chen of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- Xyza Cruz Bacani, a photojournalist who has been featured in the New York Times and other publications, in part for her work featuring victims of human trafficking
- Concepcion A. Montoya, Partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
- Amanda Kramer, Assistant United States Attorney, United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York
- Linda Oalican, Executive Director, Damayan Migrant Workers Association
Anna Mercado Clark served as moderator and 1.5 CLE credits were available in Areas of Professional Practice.
Write-up by AABANY Intern Yuqing Tian.