 |
|
Volume 7 Issue 5
May 2016
|
|
Human Trafficking in the News
|
Is prostitution empowering if you choose to do it?
"Sex work" is having something of a moment in pop culture. Yes, prostitution has been around a long time, but the narrative's changed. The language-shift towards "sex work" is very much a part of that change, as we are now meant to see prostitution as "just a job like any other," even a source of empowerment for women. Any negativity attached to the sex industry is said to be the result of "stigma," ergo the solution, we're told, is to normalize prostitution, not speak out against it.
Truckers Against Trafficking educates trucking industry on how to recognize and help victims
Truckers Against Trafficking educated Texas trucking industry leaders, general managers of Texas truck stops and local law enforcement on issues related to child sexual exploitation and human trafficking Tuesday at the America Wind Power Center
Kansas truck drivers join the fight against human trafficking
Kansas truck drivers will soon be the eyes and ears for law enforcement in the fight against human trafficking. Truckers Against Trafficking has partnered up with the Kansas Motor Carriers Association and the State of Kansas to combat human trafficking in Kansas.
|
AAMVA webinar critical first step in helping survivors recover driver's license
Many people often want to help fight human trafficking but have no idea how their lives or jobs could intersect with victims in order to do so. To help employees at DMVs across the nation understand how they can aid in the fight, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) hosted a webinar in April with TAT staff members Kylla Lanier, deputy director, and Beth Jacobs, survivor leader and field trainer, participating.
Victims of human trafficking have trouble re-establishing themselves in society under their true identity, as they often lack proper identification to obtain a government-issued driver's license. The webinar's goal was to help establish a point of contact in every DMV across the nation that survivors could access to assist with their special circumstances in recovery of a driver's license.
|
If you suspect trafficking, don't just tell someone ... MAKE THE CALL
|
|
When you suspect human trafficking, it's imperative that you call the hotline versus hoping someone else makes the call for you. A professional driver saw a young girl, around 11 years old, being sold for sex by her mother. Instead of calling the authorities, he told the manager of the store, who ended up not calling, because he hadn't seen it himself.
"We don't know what happened to that young victim or her mother, and that is devastating," commented Kylla Lanier, TAT deputy director. The National Human Trafficking Hotline - 1-888-3737-888 -- and law enforcement want to hear from the person seeing the trafficking ... not a third party.
If you suspect trafficking, you have critical information that can help in the recovery of a trafficking victim. Share that information with the authorities. You can remain anonymous, but please call and tell them what you see. A life could truly depend on it. Don't hesitate, and don't hope for someone else to make the call ... make the call, save lives!
|
New location and creative art project enriched MATS experience for TAT supporters this year
|
|
|
ArtWorks for Freedom Master Gilder Bill Adair and Creative Director Kay Chernush flank the completed Golden Door to Freedom. |
Thanks to Bridgestone Tires sharing their premier booth space with TAT, the many volunteers from Walmart Transportation/Walmart and Bridgestone Tires helping TAT staff and the compelling ArtWorks for Freedom art project called Golden Door of Freedom for visitors to admire and add to, the TAT staff, exhibit and Freedom Drivers Project (FDP) enjoyed enhanced visibility at this year's Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS).
Over 2200 people toured the Freedom Drivers Project, and TAT had the opportunity for hundreds of conversations with companies, owner/operators, industry members and members of the public this year in Louisville.
"We are so grateful to Bridgestone, our volunteers and ArtWorks for Freedom for helping us raise awareness about sex trafficking, and how the trucking industry is helping to combat it," said Kylla Lanier, TAT deputy director. "It was an amazing show!"
|
|
|
A special thanks to Bridgestone for sharing their exhibit space with us.
|
|
Strong partners and participation help make
coalition builds a success
|
|
|
| Survivor Leader and TAT Field Trainer Beth Jacobs spoke at each coalition build. |
|
Feedback was positive from the three coalition builds TAT held in April. Two were in Texas, in Houston and Lubbock, and the other, held in Topeka, engaged law enforcement and trucking in Kansas. In total, 176 people attended the builds.
In addition to teaming up with the Office of the Attorney General in both Texas and Kansas to host the builds, TAT worked with the Kansas and Texas state trucking associations, the Voice of Hope and the Texas Department of State Health Services to invite participants and law enforcement presenters. At each venue, participants learned about human trafficking from a state law enforcement official, heard from Coalition Build Specialist Esther Goetsch about the role the trucking industry is playing across the nation to combat these crimes as well as information about the National Human Trafficking Resource Hotline, listened to members of a law enforcement panel, and reviewed several case studies. Beth Jacobs, survivor leader and TAT field trainer, provided training from a survivor's perspective, including having a victim-centered approach.
|
Calls by truckers to the National Human Trafficking Hotline continue to result in trafficking cases
The
National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) reports that as of the end of the first quarter 2016
they have received 1,371 substantive calls from truck drivers, reporting a total of 425 cases of potential human trafficking across all types of trafficking and all venues. In these cases, NHTRC staff have identified 744 potential trafficking victims of which 249 are minors.
"What's amazing about these numbers is that they are only one slice of the data pie, insofar as no one is tracking 911 calls or calls into the local sheriff in relation to this crime. These numbers only reflect the professional drivers who know about and who are willing to call the hotline, and yet they do testify to the fact that drivers really are on the front lines. We continue to thank everyone in the trucking industry for their vigilance in both recognizing potential human trafficking and then reporting it to the NHTRC," commented Kendis Paris, TAT executive director. "Your efforts are critical in bringing a
successful
end to modern-day slavery."
|
|
Upcoming Events
May 3-4 - FDP at Boyd Brothers in Clayton and Birmingham, AL, Helen Van Dam, FDP director, attending
May 6-7 - FDP at Georgia Truck Driving Championships in Buford, GA, Helen Van Dam, attending
May 11-13 - Utah Trucking Association Conference in St. George, UT, Kylla Lanier, TAT deputy director, presenting
May 17 - FDP at the
New York State Motor Truck Association Day at the Capitol in Albany, NY, Helen Van Dam, FDP director, attending
May 18-19 - Arkansas Trucking Association in Little Rock, AR, Kendis Paris, TAT executive director, presenting
May 20 - Wyoming Trucking Association in Casper, WY, Kylla Lanier, TAT deputy director, presenting
|
|
|
Truckers Against Trafficking
PO Box 816 | Englewood, CO 80151
|
|
|
|
|
|
