Marian Hatcher, who serves as Senior Project Manager and Human Trafficking Coordinator at the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, has been awarded the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Obama, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced today. In receipt of the award, Hatcher is recognized for her tireless efforts in fighting abuse against women in the form of sex trafficking, prostitution and domestic violence.
Hatcher is one of about 20 individuals who will receive the Presidential Lifetime Achievement award at a ceremony in Columbus, Ohio on Jan. 21. The award is given to philanthropists and community leaders who consistently give their time and service to make a difference in the lives of others. Recipients must have completed 4,000 or more hours of service over a lifetime.
“It’s truly an honor to be presented with an award of this magnitude from President Obama,” Hatcher said. “The work, however, is never done – there are far too many girls and women out there who face sexual abuse and violence daily and believe they have nowhere to go. As we acknowledge January as National Slavery & Human Trafficking Prevention Month, this award is a symbol of a continued fight to end human and sex trafficking, sexual subjugation and violence towards women.”
In her role with the Cook County Sheriff’s office, Hatcher coordinates several anti-trafficking efforts, including the National Johns Suppression Initiative (NJSI), which targets buyers of sex, the driving force of sex trafficking and prostitution. With Hatcher’s help, the NJSI has become a nationwide annual effort including more than 80 arresting agencies and nearly 200 partners. The NJSI to-date has resulted in 5,894 johns arrests.
Hatcher is an expert on sex trafficking. In addition to sitting on numerous boards, she has facilitated important training on trafficking and prostitution for various law enforcement groups including the F.B.I. and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She has traveled the country speaking at various events and conference, shedding light on the prevalent issue of trafficking and telling her own story, a remarkable story that is.
After finding success in the corporate world post-college, Hatcher’s life descended into the depths of drug addiction, eventually becoming a victim of trafficking and domestic violence, losing everything in the process. She eventually found herself in the custody of the very law enforcement organization in which she is now employed, at the Cook County Jail. After completing a 120-day drug treatment program offered by the Sheriff’s office and necessaryprobation afterward, Hatcher went to work for the Sheriff’s office, working to make sure what happened to her doesn’t happen to other women.
Hatcher is now 13 years clean and a recipient of the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.