By: MOLLY WICKER
New Friends, New Life, a nonprofit that restores and empowers formerly trafficked teen girls and sexually exploited women and children, presented Victor Boutros with its International ProtectHER Award at its annual luncheon on November 9.
Victor was honored for his work with the Institute, specifically for training and partnering with foreign governments to reduce trafficking worldwide. As Chief Executive Officer and Founding Director of the Human Trafficking Institute, he leads the Institute’s Strategic Partnerships teams and development strategy. He spends time traveling across the United States, spending time with Institute donors, and sharing the vision and mission of the work.
“One of the things that I’m most excited about is our progress in Belize,” said Victor. “We’ve already had a couple of arrests in the country from this new specialized unit.”
Other awardees included The Dallas Morning News; The University of Texas at Austin’s Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault; and Becca Stevens, Founder of Thistle Farms in Nashville, Tennessee.
Prior to his time with the Institute, Victor served as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit and trained law enforcement from different parts of the world on how to investigate and prosecute human trafficking.
New Friends New Life was founded in 1998. By providing access to education, job training, interim financial assistance, mental health and spiritual support, New Friends New Life helps teen girls, women, and their children overcome background of abuse, addiction, poverty and limited opportunities.
To learn more about the award, click here.