Webinar - Getting Comfortable with the Uncomfortable: A discussion about child exploitation - The Regional Interdisciplinary Collaborative Working to Disrupt Human Trafficking

Earn 1.5 hours of nursing education credits

Join this important discussion on the ongoing and growing exploitation of children and the need for medical and legal intervention before, during, and after they are exploited. This Webinar will explore the particular vulnerabilities of youth, the grooming process traffickers use to exploit them, and how medical personnel can recognize the signs of trafficking. Also, hear from experts about the immediate and long-term effects on children who are trafficked and the services available to assist victims and survivors.

Participants will:

Understand the dynamics of child trafficking.
Engage in discussion related to risk factors for trafficking.
Will explore opportunities for developing safety nets and medical awareness for child trafficking.

This Webinar will be hosted by the Regional Interdisciplinary Collaborative (The RIC) which is composed of representatives of the medical, legal, academic, non-profit, statewide associations, tribal and faith-based communities and survivor led. It will offer 1.5 hours of nursing credits. Please register today to attend the Webinar to be held May 8th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. virtually using the link below.

Speakers

Moderator:
Debra S. Holbrook, MSN, RN, SANE-A, FNE A/P, AFN – C, FNE A/P, DF-AFN, FAAN

Director Forensic Nursing, Mercy Medical Center

Debra S. Holbrook MSN, RN, SANE A, FNE A/P, DF-AFN, AFN-C, FAAN

Mrs. Holbrook attended The Union Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, in Baltimore, Maryland and completed both undergrad and graduate studies through the Wilmington University. After working in the field of critical care, Mrs. Holbrook founded a Forensic Nurse Examiner Program in Delaware that became a model of the United States (US Senate Subcommittee / Biden, 2002).

In 2002 she testified on Capital Hill before a Senate Judicial Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs on behalf of the Bill that was signed into law in 2005 as the DNA Justice Act. She is the recipient of numerous international awards, including the ANCC Magnet International Nurse of the Year, the Delaware Nurse of the year, the International Association of Forensic Nurses Pioneer Award, the 2014 Most Influential Marylanders in Healthcare, Distinguished Fellow – Academy of Forensic Nursing, the prestigious Fellow American Academy of Nursing, and the Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts in Combatting Trafficking of Persons. She is a founding member and serves on the Executive board of the Academy of Forensic Nursing, has authored grants totaling over 11 million dollars to benefit victims of major person’s crimes and lectures nationally for the Office for Victims of Crime, educating medical professionals across the country. She has conducted over 200 pediatric and adult SANE educational offerings both nationally and internationally.

Mrs. Holbrook has integrated comprehensive forensic practice into the SANE model and her Programs have cared for all patients of interpersonal violence including domestic, elder, child, institutional, human trafficking, and trauma across the lifespan. She has pioneered the use of the Alternate Light Source in strangulation cases, set precedence in national court systems and founded the Baltimore City Blue Dot Human Trafficking Initiative. She is currently Director Forensic Nursing at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore that coordinates care to victims of interpersonal violence for all hospitals in Baltimore City. She is President Elect of the Academy of Forensic Nursing.

Evelyn Chumbow

Advocacy & Survivor Leadership Director with The Human Trafficking Legal Center

Evelyn Chumbow

Evelyn Chumbow is a survivor of child labor trafficking turned anti-trafficking activist and public speaker who has focused her life’s work on ending modern-day slavery, a crime impacting some 40 million victims globally.

Ms. Chumbow was brought to the United States from Cameroon at the age of nine and forced to cook, clean, and care for her trafficker’s children. She was never paid for her work, and any hope that she might escape was undermined by the constant beatings she received from her trafficker.

After years of captivity, she finally escaped and her trafficker was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Today, Ms. Chumbow works tirelessly to raise awareness and advocate for other survivors. She strongly believes in the need for professional development for survivors and dedicates her time volunteering at the grassroots level to guide communities on how to create employment opportunities for trafficking survivors.

Ms. Chumbow has been invited to brief several government agencies about human trafficking from a survivor’s perspective, including the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the State Department, and the Department of Justice. She was appointed by President Obama to serve on the United States Council on Human Trafficking to his administration. Ms. Chumbow was an invited speaker at the 2019 Paris Peace Forum and the 2014 Thomson Reuters Foundation Trust Women Conference. In 2016, she traveled to Cameroon to brief the Freedom For All conference on best practices for supporting trafficking survivors returning home from the Middle East, with an emphasis on creating opportunities for gainful employment.

Ms. Chumbow has spoken out against the issue of systemic racism for many years. In 2021, she worked with a coalition of survivor leaders to conduct a survey on racism in the anti-trafficking movement within the survivor community. Following the survey results, Ms. Chumbow co-authored the op-ed, “Racism and the Anti-Trafficking Movement: Survey Results and Personal Reflections.”

Among her many honors, Ms. Chumbow is the recipient of the 2021 Abolitionist Award from the Nomi Network, the 2018 African Heroine Award from the Ohio University African Student Union, and the 2015 Peace Seeking Award from the Presbyterian National Church. In 2021, Ms. Chumbow was selected to be included in the launch of Voices of Freedom, an initiative created by Story Corps and the Administration for Children and Families, in honor of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Ms. Chumbow has served as an advisor to human trafficking NGOs. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Human Trafficking Legal Center and Free The Slaves. She has worked at the law firm of Baker & McKenzie LLP in Washington, DC, where she has the opportunity to support human trafficking and human rights related pro bono initiatives for 7 years. Ms. Chumbow is currently the Director of Operations & Survivor Leadership Director for The Human Trafficking Legal Center. Ms. Chumbow hopes to leverage her unique position as a former child slave to end human trafficking in West Africa, in her hometown, and the rest of the world.

Jennifer Cooper, BSN, RN, SANE-P

Forensic Coordinator
Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware Valley

Jennifer Cooper

Jennifer Cooper is the coordinator for the Nemours Children’s Health Delaware Valley Emergency Department Forensic program, where she oversees a team of nurses involved in the acute care of pediatric victims of physical and sexual abuse and assault, neglect, and trauma. Jennifer is a licensed Registered Nurse with her certification as a sexual assault nurse examiner in pediatrics (SANE-P). Jennifer was one of the original forensic nurses when the Nemours Forensic program started 12 years ago. She has held various roles with the Nemours Emergency Department leadership team but found her true passion in providing a voice for the voiceless. Jennifer is an active member of many state-wide and national organizations for child maltreatment, with a particular interest in Juvenile Human Trafficking. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and fur-baby at the beach.

Andrea Repine, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Nemours Children’s Health, Rockland II

Andrea Repine

Andrea Repine is the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with the Children at Risk Evaluation (CARE) Program at Nemours Children’s Health in Wilmington, Delaware. With over ten years of experience in pediatric nursing, Andrea has dedicated the past 5 years of her career to child maltreatment. When Andrea is not providing clinical care to the children of Delaware, she is delivering education to many multidisciplinary team members regarding the quality improvement for appropriate medical care in the world of Child Abuse and neglect. Andrea is a published author and an active member of many state-wide and national organizations for child maltreatment. Andrea has a particular interest in Juvenile Human Trafficking and Child Sexual Abuse. Outside of work, Andrea enjoys spending time with her children and being outdoors.

Caren M. Schiffman, Esq.

Assistant Attorney General
Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia

Caren M. Schiffman, Esq.

Caren is an attorney with 20 years of experience advocating on behalf of children, achieving justice for victims, and championing human rights. In her current role as an Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, Caren serves as the community outreach, training, and policy attorney on the CSEC team. She also serves as co-chair of the policy and legislation subcommittee for the DC Human Trafficking Task Force.

Prior to joining OAG, Caren litigated child abuse and neglect cases on behalf of the Department of Human Services for the City of Philadelphia. After graduating law school, Caren served as an Assistant District Attorney in the adult and juvenile divisions of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office and dedicated her time as a pro-bono child advocate attorney.

In addition to her legal skills, Caren has significant experience in marketing, communications, business development, and project management having worked with a multitude of professional services firms, corporations, and nonprofits around the country.

Caren is a graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law and Ithaca College.

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