About the Task Force

The Eastern District of Missouri Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking Task Force is led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, the St. Louis County Police Department, and the International Institute of St. Louis.

Funded through the Department of Justice, our mission is to prevent and respond to human trafficking in the Federal Eastern District of Missouri through seamless collaboration between law enforcement, service providers, and community members.

Members of the Eastern District of Missouri Human Trafficking Task Force use a victim-centered and human rights approach during investigations, prosecutions, and service delivery to victims of human trafficking. This approach focuses on the needs and concerns of the victim to minimize re-traumatization through empowering survivors to engage in the criminal justice process. It promotes the victim’s rights, dignity, autonomy, and self-determination, regardless of whether the victim chooses to report and/or cooperate with law enforcement.

For victims who do chose to work with law enforcement, a victim-centered investigation adapts wherever possible to meet the needs and the wishes of the victim. By empowering victims to tell their stories in a meaningful way, law enforcement can encourage victims to serve as witnesses during criminal investigations and prosecutions. This approach keeps the victim’s wishes, safety, and well-being as the central priority in all matters.

Members of the Eastern District of Missouri Human Trafficking Task Force recognize that cooperation between law enforcement and service providers is integral to the provision of a comprehensive and victim-centered response to human trafficking and actively seek to implement this approach when working on human trafficking cases.

Counties Served