NEC Backs InfraGard’s Campaign to Prevent Human Trafficking

The NEC Corporation of America has signed on as a diamond sponsor of the InfraGard National Members Alliance. InfraGard is a law enforcement-oriented non-profit organization that is affiliated with the FBI, and will specifically be working with NEC to help combat human trafficking in the United States.

As a diamond sponsor, NEC will provide InfraGard with financial backing, and supply technological expertise and resources that could lead to the development of new anti-trafficking solutions. The two parties did not disclose the full scope of that commitment, though they did indicate that some of the resources would go toward educational efforts to raise awareness about human trafficking and effective prevention strategies.

According to InfraGard, human trafficking occurs whenever someone is forced or coerced to provide some kind of labor, or to engage in a commercial sex act. The vast majority (95 percent) of the human trafficking cases on the FBI’s docket deal with some form of sex trafficking, while the remaining five percent involve some other kind of forced work. The FBI had more than 1,700 outstanding trafficking cases as of early January.

“Law enforcement and the private sector must work together to raise awareness about the atrocities being committed in cities and neighborhoods across America,” said InfraGard President Maureen O’Connell. “By shining a light on human trafficking, we can take this crime out of the shadows and protect the most vulnerable.”

“Our investment will support key programs that eradicate human trafficking, foster information-sharing between the public and private sectors, and strengthen community resilience,” added NEC America President and CEO Mark Ikeno. “Through this partnership we will utilize our technology and assets to advance the shared goal of ensuring the safety and security of all Americans.”

InfraGard Chair Emeritus Kathleen Kiernan signed on as the new President of NEC National Security Systems in September. NEC Corporation of America has also been targeting the law enforcement sector after the hiring of Mike Lesko as Senior Director of Government Technology & Services back in March. InfraGard and NEC made the announcement as part of National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, which took place in January.

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February 1, 2022 – by Eric Weiss