The Honorable John J. Romero, Jr. has accepted an appointment on the National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children and Youth in the United States.
The Committee advises the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Attorney General on practical and general policies concerning improvements to the nation’s response to the sex trafficking of children and youth in the U.S., as outlined in the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act of 2014.
“I am honored by this appointment and look forward to the opportunity to contribute in the development of policies that prevent domestic child sex trafficking and reduce further harm to victims and enhance healing, recovery and wholeness for survivors,” said Judge Romero.
Judge Romero and other members of the Committee will be asked to advise on national policies concerning the cooperation of Federal, State, local and tribal governments and of health, human service, criminal justice and private sectors. The Committee will also recommend best practices for states to follow in the prevention and intervention of sex trafficking of children and youth, including submitting an interim and final report to the Secretary of HHS, the Attorney General, and Congress.
“As awareness of domestic child sex trafficking increases, our local and national policies must consider trauma-responsive approaches informed by and developed with the input of victims and survivors,” said Judge Romero.
Judge Romero serves on the Board of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) and sits on the NCJFCJ Governance and Family Violence and Domestic Relations Committees. He is also the lead judge for the NCJFCJ’s National Judicial Institute on Domestic Child Sex Trafficking, which has educated more than 300 judicial officers nationwide to better identify children at risk of child sex trafficking, and encourage judicial leadership to help improve outcomes for victims.
“The NCJFCJ is proud to have Judge Romero represent fellow juvenile and family court judges in this capacity,” said NCJFCJ president Judge Katherine Tennyson. “Judge Romero’s lifelong work, dedication and compassion have helped improve the lives of children and victims affected by trafficking. He serves as an example of what all our nation’s judges should strive for in their work.”
Judge Romero currently serves in the Second Judicial District Court of the Children’s Court Division in Albuquerque, N.M. and hears delinquency, child welfare and adoption cases. Judge Romero is actively involved in his community’s family violence prevention efforts and was recognized with the 2007 Spirit Advocacy Award. He presides over the Program for the Empowerment of Girls (PEG), an intensive multi-agency juvenile probation program for girls who have some type of violence and trauma in their history.
Judge Romero is co-chair emeritus of the Children’s Court Improvement Commission. He remains involved with the Tribal-State Judicial Consortium. He was the first judge in the country to be recognized as a certified child welfare law specialist by the American Bar Association (ABA)-accredited National Association of Counsel for Children. In 2014, Judge Romero received the Alice King Public Service Award.
About the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ):
Founded in 1937, the Reno, Nev.-based National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, is the nation’s oldest judicial membership organization and focused on improving the effectiveness of our nation’s juvenile and family courts. A leader in continuing education opportunities, research, and policy development in the field of juvenile and family justice, the 2,000-member organization is unique in providing practice-based resources to jurisdictions and communities nationwide.
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