Two prosecutors from the State Attorney’s Office 20th Judicial Circuit, Chief of Our Special
Victims Unit Assistant State Attorney Francine Donnorummo and Assistant State Attorney
Deborah Cunningham, presented at the 2019 Krimes Against Kids Conference held by The
Florida Network of Child Advocacy Center at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
The statewide conference is held each year to train those who work closely with abused children.
Many different professionals from around the country were in attendance including; law
enforcement personnel, child protective service personnel, victim advocates, attorneys,
therapists, counselors and social workers.
One of the sessions presented by Donnorummo and Cunningham, involved the prosecution of
child sex trafficking. The participants were taken through a case study that emphasized the
vulnerability of child runaways and how best to hold traffickers accountable.
The second presentation our prosecutors gave focused on preparing child victims of sex crimes
to testify in court. Attendees learned how to take a trauma informed approach when effectively
preparing children to navigate through the criminal justice system. This teaches those working
with children to assist them in remembering what happened to them without causing additional
harm when having to think about the crime again.
“Crimes against children and human trafficking are elaborate and intricate cases to navigate. Our
experienced and dedicated prosecutors use their vast knowledge to assist other law enforcement
agencies and those working with sensitive victims to be able to handle the many nuances of these
cases,” said State Attorney Amira Fox.
Samantha Syoen
Communications Director
State Attorney’s Office
ssyoen@sao20.org
239-533-1125