The Department of Justice estimates over 14,000 people are trafficked into the United States each year. It is also reported that 25% of all human trafficking victims within the United States enter through Texas.
One of the first lines of defense against human trafficking is the trucking industry. Traffickers use the same interstates as truckers and travelers to transport their human cargo.
The non-profit group, Truckers Against Trafficking, aims to train independent truck drivers and trucking companies on recognizing the signs of human trafficking and reporting it.
Truck stops themselves are a prime location to see the trafficking of girls for sex. The girls entrapped by traffickers are often called "lot lizards," a trucker code name for prostitute.
Truckers Against Trafficking is producing a new film as a training tool for truckers.
"This initiative exists to inspire and enlist the over 3 million US truckers to become watchmen/woman for trafficked children along the US highways and truck stops," says the iempathize.org website whcih is creating the film. "The finished media will be paired with training materials and wallet cards for the trucking industry and to help create awareness of trafficking as individuals travel along the interstates."
Below is a teaser for the film which tells the true story of a victim from Toledo, OH who was kidnapped and forced into prostitution along truck stops on major interstates. It's a hard video to take-in, but human trafficking is a hard problem facing the United States and countries around th globe.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
- Be aware of your surroundings and reporting suspicious behavior.
- Put the National Human Trafficking Hotline into your cell phone so you always have it. (1-888-373-7888)
- Learn more about the signs of trafficking at the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.
- Sign the petition to Pilot Flying J. Truck Stops to "Put the Brakes on Child Trafficking at Truck Stops!"
- Donate to iEmpathize.org to help them finish the film and produce training materials for truckers.
Comments
Tragedy of trafficking is thousand of young girls and boys are sold into modern-day slavery. These are the stories that provides a compelling look into this dark, inhuman, and exploitative world and shows how each one of us can help to prevent modern-day slavery.
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/479
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