A local outreach director that helps victims of human trafficking was nationally honored today in Washington D.C.
Dr. Abigail Judge was recognized with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award in recognition for her service to survivors of sex trafficking.
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Dr. Judge along with her colleague Sandra Andrade helped found Boston Human Exploitation and Trafficking, or HEAT, a collaboration program with the Boston police department’s human trafficking unit and Mass General Hospital.
FBI Director Christopher Wray along with Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, honored Dr. Judge today at FBI headquarters to emphasize the importance of community partnerships.
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“Today, we honor Dr. Judge’s dedication and commitment to working with us, and the community to help victims escape this cycle of vicious abuse and provide them with access to vital resources. Meanwhile, FBI Boston’s Child Exploitation – Human Trafficking Task Force will continue to work every day to bring the predators who viciously abuse them to justice”, said Cohen.
Dr. Judge and Andrade were featured last year in our award-winning series "Trapped and Trafficked" that focuses on human trafficking in Massachusetts.
We caught up with them last week at their new drop-in center near Mass and Cass that offers women in the area a safe space to get off the street.
"I hope it inspires people to focus and understand the unique needs of individuals who are still being trafficked, who are still cycling in and out of exploitative relationships and active addiction. it's a unique population, and i think one that's been relatively overlooked that we'd love to shine some light on." said Dr. Judge.
Our series "Trapped and Trafficked" was also recently honored with a New England Emmy nomination for outstanding investigative report.
