In January, the nation recognizes National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
Organizations, Law Enforcement and agencies around the nation put on events and conferences to educate their communities about this crime, and to also help point people in a direction where we can take direct action to combat it.
Human trafficking is an issue that rarely makes the news and can quickly fall out of sight and out of mind, especially when it takes place in not only in locked hotel rooms off highway exits, but also in Downtown & Suburban four star Hotels.
The victims of this crime, what advocates call "modern day slavery," are mostly anonymous - women, children and men kidnapped or otherwise coerced into a nomadic, sexually exploitative way of life. But here in the Motorcity City, Detroit 300 activists want and will work to see something done about it.
"We recognize that for true change to happen in the area of sexual exploitation, we need to continually challenge societal norms that have made it acceptable or perhaps normalized it," said Kylla Lanier, TAT deputy director. "We're grateful for the men and women, both in the broader anti-trafficking movement as well as within the trucking industry, who are questioning jokes, media and attitudes that minimize this form of exploitation. We are proud to stand with our fellow activists and trucking industry partners against the evil that normalizes the commercialization of people."
By presidential proclamation in 2010, January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, with Jan. 11 named as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Throughout this month, and particularly on Jan. 11, many cities and communities, colleges and churches across the nation held a series of anti-human trafficking events and activities, hosted anti-trafficking films, talked about the subject on television and radio, and provide multiple opportunities for community members to become engaged in the fight. It's a good month and a good day to recommit to the fight to end human trafficking in the United States. Some steps anyone can take to be involved are:
• Learn to recognize the signs of human trafficking and how to report it to the National Human Trafficking Hotline - 1-888-3737-888 - and to local police.
• Be an informed consumer and discover your slavery footprint - ask who picked your tomatoes or made your clothes; take steps to influence companies to prevent human trafficking in the supply chains of goods you buy.
• Volunteer and support anti-trafficking efforts in your community.
• Become informed about human trafficking by watching films about human trafficking or reading books about it.
• Attend an anti-human trafficking event in your community.
• Spread awareness about human trafficking in your community.
Encourage your schools to include modern slavery in their curricula and educate your own children.
During this National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Michigan State Police (MSP) motor carrier officers are teaming up with officers from neighboring states to raise awareness of human trafficking.
Download the TAT phone app today
If you haven't downloaded the free TAT phone app for either iPhone or Androids, do so today. It has the National Human Trafficking Hotline number on it as well as red flag indicators and basic information about human trafficking. It only takes a second. Don't delay; do it today!
From Jan. 22 – 26, MSP officers will join with their colleagues in the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Illinois State Police and Indiana State Police, along with the organization Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) to educate motorists about the signs of human trafficking and to enforce laws that crack down on traffickers.
The MSP first partnered with TAT in 2015, and has since been recognized as a national leader in human trafficking awareness and education. For more information about TAT, visit truckersagainsttrafficking.org. To report human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 888-373-7888 or text BeFree to 233733.
Detroit 300 is a proud partner of TAT
Download the TAT phone app today
If you haven't downloaded the free TAT phone app for either iPhone or Androids, do so today. It has the National Human Trafficking Hotline number on it as well as red flag indicators and basic information about human trafficking. It only takes a second. Don't delay; do it today!
