Dear Colleagues:
In New York City, we believe survivors. We stand with survivors. And we support survivors along their healing journeys. Cyntoia Brown was a child victim of sex trafficking who experienced significant abuse and trauma in her childhood. Today, she is a survivor and a mentor working to support other survivors. And just yesterday, she was granted executive clemency by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam after serving 15 years of a sentence for killing a 43-year-old man who solicited her for sex when she was 16 years old.
To survivors of domestic and gender-based violence, including human trafficking, please know that help and resources are available. Reach out when you are ready, and when it is safe. In New York City, survivors can:
We salute the tireless efforts of trafficking advocates, and, as ever, New York City stands ready to help survivors.
Cecile Noel
Commissioner, Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence