Labor and sex trafficking ‘serious issue’ in Maryland: SAFE Center CEO warns Susan Esserman fights for victims of human trafficking By Ruben Castaneda Published: February 16, 2026 Source: The Baltimore Sun Since its founding in 2016, the University of Maryland SAFE Center has helped more than 600 survivors of sex and […]
The SAFE Center’s Founder and CEO Susan Esserman was interviewed on the radio program DMV Spotlight which hosts in-depth discussions with DMV area leaders to highlight organizations that are making a difference across the region. Esserman spoke to the significant presence of human trafficking in the DMV metropolitan region, highlighted examples of cases seen […]
The House Committee on Appropriations allowed each Member of Congress to submit up to 15 Community Funding Project requests for their districts in the Fiscal Year 2026 funding cycle. Ten of Congressman Hoyer’s projects for the Fifth Congressional District (Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s Counties, as well as parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s […]
In recognition of 2026 National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, state leaders convened at the Maryland State House to highlight Maryland’s commitment to step up to combat human trafficking as the federal government steps back. Headlined by Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller, the event was spearheaded by longtime survivor advocate Maryland Secretary of State Susan Lee, and […]
The University of Maryland SAFE Center for Human Trafficking Survivors and Steptoe LLP praised Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, the county’s Task Force on Human Trafficking, and the County Council for passing groundbreaking legislation aimed at combating sex and labor trafficking in the county through procurement law. The legislation, passed unanimously on July 2, 2024, makes Prince […]
In August 2024, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Representatives Glenn Ivey (D-MD), David Valadao (R-CA), and Delia Ramirez (D-IL) introduced The Continued Presence Improvement Act to strengthen protections for human trafficking survivors in the U.S. This bill aims to reduce survivors’ vulnerability to further exploitation and to […]
For the second consecutive year, the SAFE Center has been selected by the American Hotel and Lodging Association Foundation (AHLA) as a national grant recipient to expand its program in partnership with Marriott International to train human trafficking survivors nationwide for careers in the hospitality industry. In 2018, Marriott International and the Global Fund to […]
The SAFE Center’s Founder and CEO, Susan Esserman, is featured in articles highlighting a recent human trafficking case in Maryland. Esserman discusses how transportation hubs can facilitate human trafficking. She highlighted that the SAFE Center, which primarily serves Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, has assisted more than 400 sex and labor trafficking survivors and their […]
Source: AHLA Foundation | July 19, 2023 WASHINGTON (July 19, 2023) – The AHLA Foundation announced $500,000 in inaugural No Room for Trafficking (NRFT) Survivor Fund grants to four community-based organizations that serve human trafficking survivors. The 2023 NRFT Survivor Fund grant recipients will provide and promote resources to build survivors’ stability and self-sufficiency – from […]
Source: Marriott International | July 27, 2023 In recognition of World Day against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, Marriott International and the University of Maryland Support, Advocacy, Freedom, and Empowerment Center for Human Trafficking Survivors (the SAFE Center) today announced the nationwide expansion of Future in Training (FiT) Curriculum that seeks to equip […]
