Last year, President Obama signed a proclamation, designating January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. With millions of people still victimized by modern-day slavery practices, his declaration was intended to raise awareness of human trafficking which still persists around the world.
One group of people who are uniquely positioned to have heightened awareness of the problem is our nation’s truckers. The men and women responsible for the flow of goods and services in our country are also the inherit guardians of our transportation network. When the sun sets and most of the world is asleep, truckers are still out there, keeping our economy flowing. In doing so, they are undoubtedly a witness to the dark side of night, especially to those using the very same highways to exploit and transport human beings.
There is an organization that understands very well the power that the trucking industry possesses in combating human exploitation. Truckers Against Trafficking is a non-profit organization that “exists to educate, equip, empower and mobilize members of the trucking and travel plaza industry to combat domestic sex trafficking.” They provide invaluable support, training and resources for truckers and law enforcement agencies. TAT helps identify signs of human trafficking at crucial gathering locations for truckers and in turn, provide hope for victims that may come in contact with them. In the grim state of things, it is great to know that there are excellent organizations such as TAT making a real difference in the lives of our nation’s most vulnerable people.
Through awareness and action, we can make strides towards helping eliminate this problem.
To learn more about human trafficking and how you can help, visit these websites:
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/what-is-human-trafficking.html
https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/civilrights/human_trafficking
https://polarisproject.org/human-trafficking
By: Ezgi Bilici, Associate Product Manager