About Us
Human trafficking can affect anyone...
…regardless of gender, race, age, finances, citizenship, or language. At the same time, everyone has a role to play in ending it. By being alert to the signs and knowing how to take action, we can change the culture to end demand and stop human trafficking for good.
The New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking is a fully volunteer-run organization that coordinates statewide community efforts to end sex and labor trafficking in New Jersey. Comprising 200 volunteers and more than 180 affiliates—including nonprofits, faith-based organizations, academics, law enforcement, and direct service providers—we empower communities with the knowledge of what human trafficking is, how to prevent it, and how to support those affected by it.
NJCAHT organizes speaking events, outreach, and educational programs to inform people of all ages about the physical, psychological, and financial effects of human trafficking and forced labor—and how they can help prevent or end it. We work with key professional groups, including healthcare providers, first responders, and hospitality staff, to ensure they have protocols in place to recognize and prevent human trafficking, and to safely identify and treat those who’ve suffered from it. We also advocate for statewide legislation that protects survivors, identifies victims, and reduces demand for future victims.
Our ongoing initiatives include SOAP outreach to surrounding hotels and motels, social media awareness with Justice Network’s #HTChallenge, and school awareness through our Locker Slam program, among others.
Over the years, the Coalition has:
Educated 7,100+ community members—including students, educators, law enforcement, healthcare workers, and the public sector—about the issue of human trafficking.
Reached 900+ hotels and motels across 9 New Jersey counties, providing critical resources in multiple languages to help prevent trafficking in their establishments.
Advocated for comprehensive legislation, led by New Jersey Junior League members and others within the Attorney General’s task force.
Successfully advocated for the 2013 New Jersey Prevention, Protection, and Treatment Act, which passed unanimously and is now law.
Worked with Project Stay Gold, League of Women Voters, and Justice Network to raise awareness in advance of Super Bowl XLVIII, which New Jersey was hosting in February 2014.
Worked with 135 local municipalities to mark January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
Launched the Proclamation Project in 2014 and within a year turned it into a statewide resolution at the League of Municipalities Conference.
Our History
The New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking was founded in 2011 under the umbrella of the Jewish Federation of Greater Metrowest’s Community Relations Committee, which brought together 20 activists and organizations focused on the issue. Prior anti-trafficking coalitions had formed in New Jersey in the mid-2000s, after the state adopted basic anti-trafficking laws, but most had disbanded by 2008. NJCAHT sought to unite anyone across the state interested in working together to end human trafficking. In November 2016, NJCAHT became a 501c3 nonprofit independent from the Jewish Federation.