A trucker’s job is to keep their eyes on the road.
Truckers are the lifeblood of the USA. Truckers drive thousands of miles across major cities and remote places in the country, that’s why Truckers Against Trafficking is raising up a mobile army of transportation professionals to assist law enforcement in the recognition and reporting of human trafficking, in order to aid in the recovery of victims and the arrest of their perpetrators.
“Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labor, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others.” – Wikipedia
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services estimated that between 240,000 and 325,000 children are at risk for sexual exploitation each year.
According to Truckers Against Trafficking’s website, “Truckers Against Trafficking’s mission is to educate, equip, empower, and mobilize members of the trucking industry to combat domestic sex trafficking.” and “equipping members of the trucking industry to spot and report potential signs of sex trafficking can lead to the investigation, arrest, and prosecution of traffickers and freedom for victims.”
Truckers Against Trafficking works with trucking organizations to engage and train their drivers to spot the tell-tale signs of Human trafficking and report it to the police and the Human Trafficking Hotline 1-888-3737-888.
Trafficking Red Flags to Look For:
- Lack of knowledge of their whereabouts; not in control of ID/passport
- Restricted or controlled communication; not allowed to speak for self-being watched or followed
- Any mention of making a quota or having a pimp/daddy
- Signs of branding or tattooing of the trafficker’s name (often on the neck)
- A van, RV, or vehicle with multiple women in a mainly male area and/or dropping women off and picking them up 15-20 minutes later
- Signs of bruising
If you suspect someone could be a victim of human trafficking:
- Call 911: If you’re seeing a crime in progress.
- Call the Hotline: to ascertain if you’re witnessing human trafficking, to access services, make a report, or share incidents that have been reported to law enforcement.
- Provide Support: Based on your comfort level:
- Tell management at location what you’ve seen.
- Ask the victim if you can help and assess how.
For more information regarding training for yourself or your company, visit https://truckersagainsttrafficking.org/ today.
