Athena's Court

Judge Ana Escobar was recently awarded the 2025 SCA Outstanding Alumnae of the Year. This honor is given each year to an alumna nominated by her peers for her service and commitment to SCA, along with leadership and outstanding service in her family, faith, community, vocation, or profession.

As Human Trafficking Awareness Month comes to an end , The Athena's Court Team would like to thank our community for their continued support. The month may be over, but our fight is not!

To learn more about trafficking and ways you can help, please visit the website below. Thank you for your assistance in spreading awareness!

https://polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/

The Athena’s Court team is happy to announce that The Office of Family Safety presented our own Judge Escobar with the Hope Hero Award in honor of Human Trafficking Awareness Month. This award recognizes Judge Escobar’s continued dedication to helping survivors of human trafficking and bringing education and awareness to the public.

For more information on the many services that The Office of Family Safety offers please visit: https://ofs.nashville.gov/family-safety-center/

Athena’s Court wants to thank Annie from OFS for being such an amazing case manager and even more wonderful person!

We are sad to see you leave but love to see you grow in your journey and life. We wish you all the best success and luck in your future endeavors and will always have a place for you in our hearts and minds.

Good luck Annie! You’re a rockstar and we can’t wait to see you reach the stars! ✨

January is Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month. Below are some common myths and misconceptions about Human Trafficking and the facts that can help save a life.

There are some common myths and misconceptions about what Human Trafficking is and what it can look like. Here are some examples of those:
MYTH: Traffickers target strangers
FACT: most victims are trafficked by someone they know

MYTH: It is always/usually a violent crime (e.g. kidnapping or other physical force)
FACT: Traffickers most often use psychological means such as tricking, defrauding, manipulating, or threatening individuals to have control over them.

For more myths and facts: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/human-trafficking/myths-facts

January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
A little history of how the month came to be:
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2002 (TVPA) was implemented to combat domestic and international human trafficking. (U.S. Department of State, n.d.)
In 2010, President Barack Obama enacted January as Human Trafficking awareness month and every following president has honored this tradition.
In May of 2015 the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking published the Justice for Victims Trafficking Act (JVTA) which allows survivors of Human Trafficking to advise and recommend on federal anti-trafficking policies. (U.S. Department of State, n.d.)
For more information please click here: National Human Trafficking Prevention Month - United States Department of State

Happy Holidays from Athena’s Court 🌺🌟

A very happiest of birthdays yesterday to Athena’s Court’s very own Judge Escobar!

The very beautiful petit fours were crafted by Sweet Daisy Bakery and tasted as amazing as they look!

Many happy birthdays to our wonderful leader, Judge Escobar 🎉🎉

As October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, draws to a close, we want to acknowledge Domestic Violence happens at all times of the year, and to all identities of people.

Domestic Violence can take many forms:
-Physical
-Sexual
-Mental/Emotional
-Financial
-Verbal

It is often difficult for people in domestic violence situations to recognize that is what they are experiencing. It can be challenging to talk about this topic, but if you can bring an open mind and a willingness to grow, we can all do our part to enact change.

For more information on domestic violence: https://www.dvawareness.org/HealHoldCenter

Resouces: https://www.ywcanashville.com/domestic-
National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
https://www.nashvillecadv.com/resources
https://agapenashville.org/domestic-violence-care/
https://www.domesticshelters.org/help/tn/nashville

We want to give a very special thank you to Belmont University - College of Law for inviting our team to participate in their Re-Entry Simulation.

While each segment was only a snapshot of 15 minutes into the stressors recently released individuals face, the feelings experienced were real.

Thank you so much Belmont College of Law for recognizing the gaps in care and inviting us to be a part of the conversation towards a solution.

Today is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, and this year's theme is No Child Left Behind. Let's unite to protect and support every child, ensuring they are safe from exploitation and trafficking.

To learn the signs and signals of human trafficking in children and young people, what to look for in potential victims, and how you can join the fight against human trafficking, visit www.ancoratn.org/training

Together, we can make a difference and create a world where every child has a chance to thrive.