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General Discussion

10/8/2009 3:15:35 PM EST

NY Supreme Court Justices Address Global Sex Slavery

Posted by Holly HT

LexisNexis promotes Rule of Law initiative during panel on human trafficking

At the Association of Supreme Court Justices’ annual conference in New York, this year’s conference topic was human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children. Nisha A. Falcigno, Esq., senior account manager at LexisNexis, coordinated the presentation for some 35 judges.

"Human trafficking is a worldwide problem that requires a global response, and who better to take on this responsibility than the judiciary,” commented Justice Michelle Weston, President of the Association of Justices of the Supreme Court of the State of New York. "LexisNexis' commitment to the Rule of Law Initiative is admirable, she added.

The conference panel included, Guy Jacobson, writer and producer of the film “Holly.” This compelling film was sponsored by LexisNexis and deals head-on with the horrific issue of child sexual exploitation in Southeast Asia. The intent of the film, which was recently released on DVD, is to build global awareness of the human trafficking issue.

Somaly Mam, a former victim of sexual slavery herself, and founder of the Somaly Mam Foundation, served on the panel. Her foundation is dedicated to combating the global sex slave trade through the rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of the victims and through raising global awareness on the issue.

Also prominent on the panel, Carol Smolenski, Executive Director of ECPAT USA, a global network of organizations and individuals working together to eliminate child prostitution, child pornography and the trafficking of children for sexual purposes.

The 90-minute presentation at the conference included film clips from "Holly"; a discussion of the LexisNexis Rule of Law Initiative; a summary of the relevant legislation and each panelist's personal commentary. Following the presentation, attendees received: a DVD of “Holly”; a copy of Somaly Mam’s book, The Road of Lost Innocence: The True Story of a Cambodian Heroine; material from ECPAT, and the New York Safe Harbor and Anti-Trafficking legislation.

The audience was incredibly moved by the presentation, according to Nisha. “Many of the judges, including one who had just returned from an extensive tour of Southeast Asia, commented that they were completely unaware of this issue and thanked us for bringing it to their attention.”

Judge La Tia W. Martin, President of the National Association of Women Judges, and Judge Juanita Bing Newton, the administrative judge responsible for the NYS Office of Court Administration Judicial Institute were among the judges who attended the conference.

At the request of Judge Newton, LexisNexis will continue the dialogue on how the topic of human trafficking can be incorporated into the Judicial Institute's curriculum at Pace University Law School in White Plains, N.Y.

“Awareness of the issue by the judicial community will be critical to stopping the proliferation of human trafficking,” Nisha adds. “LexisNexis is uniquely positioned to provide assistance with this effort.”

(To order a DVD of the film “Holly” or to become more involved in this issue, visit http://priorityfilms.com/).