Members of the state Legislature’s Republican minority have formed the Assembly Minority Task Force on Human Trafficking.

“This is a broader issue than what people think,” said Assemblyman Scott Bendett.

According to a 2022 report from the New York State Interagency Task Force, there were 249 confirmed human trafficking cases while the National Human Trafficking Hotline reported 467 cases involving 622 victims, most of which were sex-trafficked.

“There are survivors that are currently dealing with some really, really horrific PTSD related to their experience,” explained Assemblyman Brian Maher.

Many of which are receiving assistance from nonprofit domestic violence organizations that are often overwhelmed.

“We want to make sure we identify all the resources that are available, we quantify how big the problem actually is and then we get the resources that we need to get to those nonprofits that are doing the work right now,” Maher said.

It’s why leaders of those nonprofits represented a portion of the panel hosted by the task force Tuesday in Rensselaer County.

“We know that it’s anything going from Canada to the city is going back and forth through our districts,” said Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh.

The group discussed various topics including how to better support survivors and law enforcement in combatting traffickers, what education professionals and all New Yorkers need to identify the crime and the impact a growing migrant population is having on human trafficking.

“They need to money, they need to work, they need to eat, they need to provide for their families,” Maher said. “They are the most susceptible to a trafficking situation.”

The task force will compile a report based on the information gathered at these sessions.

“I think as this stuff trickles out, we want to be on top of it and we want to keep our residents safe,” Bendett said.

This is one of several roundtable discussions this task force has planned across the state with the next two or three happening in Western New York.