DOJ GRANT - A 2018 report to state lawmakers said Louisiana identified 681 victims of human trafficking that year, the report showed more than half were juveniles.
Last week, Governor John Bel Edwards announced that Louisiana has been awarded a $1.2 million, multi-year grant from the Department of Justice to beef up efforts to prevent human trafficking through a program that is expected to serve as a model for states throughout the country. He made his announcement at the state capitol building in Baton Rouge.
"We've already seen major progress as we seek to put an end to this crime,"explained Edwards."We work closely with our state lawmakers to support laws and policies that enact harsher penalties on the pimps and perpatrators of human trafficking. In 2016, Shared Hope International ranked Louisiana number one in the nation in its anti-trafficking laws."
Edwards also said that Louisiana has one of the nation’s worst corridors for human trafficking. Louisiana is one of only seven states to receive such a grant from DOJ since 2015. It will be implemented over a three year period.
