Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez will speak on human trafficking at a 7 p.m. program March 18 at the Homewood Public Library, 17917 Dixie Highway.
Her presentation is hosted by the Homewood-Flossmoor Area League of Women Voters. Assistant State’s Attorney Kathleen Bankhead will also be present to answer questions following Alvarez’s presentation.
Alvarez has made human trafficking a top priority of her administration and is credited with creating a Human Trafficking Initiative within the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
This first-of-its-kind unit works closely with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to bring action against individuals and human trafficking groups that exploit children. Her office also has worked to develop laws that increase
protections for children and crack down on predators attempting to victimize children on the Internet.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office is the second largest prosecutor’s office in the country with more than 1,500 attorneys and administrative employees. In 2008,
Alvarez became the first woman and first Hispanic elected to head the office. She started her career with the state’s attorney’s office in 1986 after graduating from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
