Broward County Courthouse at 201 S.E. Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale. Courtesy photo

The Broward Circuit Court is opening a division for providing specialized treatment to underage victims of human trafficking.

A June 27 administrative order signed by Broward Chief Judge Jack Tuter outlined the creation of the RISE Court in Broward County. RISE, which stands for restoring independence, strength and empowerment, is designed to serve as an accompanying court within the dependency and delinquency divisions of Broward's Unified Family Court, to address the needs of children suspected or known to have been victims of trafficking.

Broward Circuit Judge Stacy Ross will be serving as the presiding judge of the newly established court. The judge, who presides in the delinquency division, told the Daily Business Review RISE was established through the efforts of herself as well as Broward Circuit Court Judges Hope Bristol and Stacey Schulman.

“We really wanted to make sure we were giving individualized and specialized attention to children victims of human trafficking,” Ross said, noting the judges have worked on the initiative for much of 2019.

According to the administrative order, judges assigned to a dependency division will evaluate whether a child's case is eligible for RISE. If they qualify, additional proceedings will be reassigned to the RISE court.

“It's an exercise in case management, because the cases are still going to be assigned to the presiding judge. I'm just taking the child's case,” said Ross, who called it ”akin to drug court in terms of whatever services [that] can be put in place are being put in place.”

Read the administrative order:

Ross acknowledged the procedural change will prove to be “a balancing act.”

“We're starting small and we're going to look to expand to see if we can get all those case issues addressed properly,” she said. Ross singled out medical care and reintegrating the children back into the school system as being among the top priorities of RISE.

Family law attorney Elizabeth Baker, who works as of counsel with Hinshaw & Culbertson, has worked extensively on treating traumatized individuals and helped to establish Safespace Foundation Inc., which treats battered women. She said a unique and comprehensive approach for caring for trauma victims is preferable whenever possible.

“The victims pose a problem because they're young, sometimes uncooperative and sometimes terrified,” Baker said. “So getting them to admit what's going on can be a problem unto itself.”

She added, “You may need a team approach that involves doctors and psychologists and counselors that can reinvigorate the victims with a sense of self-worth and [can] help them overcome the shame and embarrassment for having fallen into the clutches [of traffickers].”

The RISE Court's first session is scheduled for Aug. 13. A public reception will be held at the Broward County Courthouse on Wednesday, July 24, between 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to introduce South Florida's legal community to the court, its mission statement and its services.

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