About the Task Force

The Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force (MHTTF) was formed in 2007 by the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Attorney General of Maryland, and the State's Attorney for Baltimore City to serve as the lead investigative, prosecutorial, and victim services coordinating body for anti-human trafficking activity in the State of Maryland.

We are a multidisciplinary team of agencies and organizations committed to a victim-centered approach in the fight against human trafficking in Maryland. Our record of success in rescuing and serving a range of labor and sex trafficking victims is irrespective of gender, nationality, sexual orientation, or age.

Maryland joins a small number of states at the forefront of victim response due to the forward-looking efforts of investigators, prosecutors, concerned citizens, advocates, and legislators who believe that the work of the Task Force is necessary to protect human dignity and public safety.

  • The Task Force builds upon existing collaborations among victim service providers to increase the identification of victims and provide a more comprehensive, specialized, and coordinated response to victims’ complex long-term needs.

  • Multiple state agencies join the MHTTF as a force-multiplier in the fight to raise awareness at the local level to expose traffickers, and developing polices to respond to victims in a united front across state systems.

  • MHTTF trains law enforcement and prosecutors to ensure that traffickers are held accountable for their heinous offenses.

Through increasing public awareness, coordinating state policies/protocols, and implementing best practices for investigations, prosecution, victim identification, and victim service response, our message is clear: In Maryland, victims will be recovered and traffickers will be held accountable for their crimes.

Seven subcommittees combine to form the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force:

  1. The Victim Services Subcommittee consists of approximately 30 members from government and nongovernment organizations across the state. The subcommittee works to build an informed community of service providers in Maryland to identify and respond to the specialized needs of trafficking victims. The subcommittee collaborates with members of the Law Enforcement, Public Awareness, and Legislative Subcommittees to promote a victim-centered response while simultaneously supporting investigations and prosecutions of traffickers.
  2. The Legislative Subcommittee includes approximately 30 members from county, state, and federal law enforcement, victim advocates, service providers, various government organizations, and faith-based organizations. Subcommittee members work to determine changes that would improve Maryland’s human trafficking laws, partner with legislators, lobby on behalf of important initiatives, and testify on human trafficking legislation. Every year members sponsor a Lobby Day to End Human Trafficking during the legislative session to raise awareness and mobilize the community.
  3. The Public Awareness Subcommittee provides opportunities for Marylanders to become informed on the issues of sex and labor trafficking through awareness events, presentations, activities, media, and marketing campaigns. The Subcommittee seeks representatives from targeted groups including education, faith, immigrant, medical, hospitality, military, personal care, public safety, and corporate. The Subcommittee acknowledges and values every human being connected to human trafficking, including survivors, traffickers, and clients.
  4. The Training Subcommittee provides instruction to hundreds of members of law enforcement, state agencie,s and victim service organizations each year. Additionally, the subcommittee assists in the planning and coordination of the Annual Governor’s Conference to Combat Human Trafficking in Maryland in conjunction with the Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention.
  5. The Law Enforcement Subcommittee aims to create a heightened law enforcement presence in the community by training first responders and others to identify victims of human trafficking. Once victims are identified, members work collaboratively to ensure their traffickers are prosecuted in either federal or state court. Members include the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Maryland State Police (MSP), and local law enforcement agencies, and state’s attorneys offices from Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Charles, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties.
  6. The Labor Trafficking Subcommittee
    7. To develop a coordinated approach—among local, state, and federal government and private stakeholders—to address the full spectrum of labor trafficking in Maryland. The work includes raising awareness of labor trafficking in the state, identifying and investigating labor trafficking violations, bringing to justice labor trafficking perpetrators, and supporting survivors. The description for the Grants Committee, currently blank, should be: To provide guidance, support, and periodic training for member organizations seeking grant funding. This committee will also assist in evaluating requests for letters of support sought by member organizations seeking grant funding.
  7. The Grant Subcommittee...