Anti-Sex & Labor Trafficking Panel Examines Preventive Measures
On January 20, 2026, the Federal Bar Association Chicago Chapter and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois co-hosted a free CLE program at the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse in recognition of National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
Titled Hiding in Plain Sight: The Institutional Struggle to Combat Human Sex and Labor Trafficking, the event drew more than 70 members of the legal community to the Ceremonial Courtroom on the 25th floor. The panel discussion ran from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., followed by a reception from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Attendees received 1.5 hours of CLE credit.
Chief Judge Virginia M. Kendall of the Northern District of Illinois moderated the program. Chief Judge Kendall has served on the federal bench since 2006, teaches human trafficking at the University of Chicago Law School, Northwestern University School of Law, and Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and is a coauthor of two books on child exploitation and trafficking.
Expert Panelists Address Sex and Labor Trafficking From Multiple Perspectives
The panel featured four speakers representing law enforcement, prosecution, civil legal services, and academia. Katherine Kaufka Walts, Director of the Center for the Human Rights of Children at Loyola University Chicago, addressed labor trafficking, focusing on the intersections of child welfare and immigration. Christopher Parente, founding member of Cheronis & Parente LLC and former Deputy Chief AUSA in the Northern District of Illinois, discussed the investigative and prosecutorial dimensions of sex trafficking cases, drawing on his experience leading the Chicago Office's human trafficking and crimes against children programs.
Carrie Landau, a retired FBI Special Agent with 21 years of service and 17 federal expert witness appearances on sex trafficking, spoke to law enforcement best practices and victim-centered investigative approaches. Elizabeth Payne, Legal Director at the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation and Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School, addressed civil legal services and survivor advocacy, including records relief, civil litigation, and cyber sexual abuse representation.
Anti-Sex & Labor Trafficking Efforts Require Interdisciplinary Coordination and Survivor-Centered Solutions
The panel examined the societal conditions that enable trafficking to persist, the challenges faced by institutions tasked with responding, and the range of prevention, accountability, and survivor-centered solutions available within and beyond the criminal justice system. Panelists emphasized the need for interdisciplinary coordination across law enforcement, legal advocates, social services, and immigration practitioners in addressing both sex and labor trafficking effectively.
The Federal Bar Association Chicago Chapter is proud to draw attention to this matter during National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. To get involved in upcoming networking and education opportunities, explore the Chicago Chapter’s upcoming events!
