There is a cause that brings together business heavyweights such as the ground transportation industry, the national passenger railroad company, rideshare service Uber and a network of 250,000 convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations across the United States: putting an end to human trafficking.
These industries and organizations have teamed up to raise awareness to the dangers of human trafficking and educate their employees to spot potential suspicious activities.
Truckers Against Trafficking, for example, is a non-profit that trains more than 1.5 million workers in the ground transportation industry to recognize and report human trafficking. TAT participants include UPS, Amazon and Walmart, as well as “mom-and-pop truck stops,” said Annie Sovcik, Senior Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives.
“Our theory of change is really rooted in the belief that by educating and equipping members of these targeted industries, we can activate millions of people to move from passive bystanders to active disrupters of human trafficking,” she said.
Human trafficking is a worldwide scourge. About 27.6 million people are victims of trafficking worldwide, according to PACT (Protect All Children from Trafficking), an organization focused on protecting every child’s right to grow up free from sexual exploitation and trafficking through education, legislative advocacy and partnerships.
PACT reports that 23% of victims are in situations of forced commercial sexual exploitation, and four out of five people are girls and women. Half of all children forced in labor are in commercial sexual exploitation.
Network of Partners
The federal sex trafficking law, passed in 2000, criminalizes the use of force, fraud or coercion to cause someone to engage in a commercial sex act. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its Center for Countering Human Trafficking are tasked with enforcing that law, and they have been in the spotlight as major names – Jeffrey Epstein, R. Kelly, Sean Combs – have been investigated by the agency.
Federal juries put both Epstein and Kelly behind bars in 2019. In March, DHS raided Combs’ Miami and Los Angeles homes, but no federal criminal charges have been filed against the music producer to date.
While celebrity-centered investigations grab headlines, the majority of DHS/CCHT work occurs quietly in the background of American life. The agency’s Blue Campaign is the face of the work, a national awareness campaign designed to educate the public on how to identify trafficking, protect victims and bring perpetrators to justice.
Behind the scenes, DHS has established a network of partners in law enforcement, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, and state and local authorities who serve as the eyes and ears of the agency, such as Truckers Against Trafficking.
Additionally, DHS’ partnership with rideshare service Uber reaches over 21 million people daily. Global Head of Women’s Safety Policy Elise Maiolino said the company works with non-profits Polaris Group, which operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline, and advocacy organization ECPAT-USA to develop educational materials tailored to Uber drivers and users.
“We find ways to explain . . . what to look for in terms of how to identify human trafficking, how it might show up, and then what to do in the event that they hear or see something suspicious,” said Maiolino. “Uber has a real potential to make an impact given the scale and size of our work.”
More Resources on Human Trafficking: ALHI: The Code
Another crucial partner is Amtrak; its passenger trains cover over 21,000 miles of rail and employ 18,000, including its own police force. James Lewis is Communications Director for Amtrak’s police department.
“In April 2012, DHS and DOJ approached us with a partnership to train our frontline employees and our police officers,” said Lewis. Later that year, Amtrak decided to roll out the training to all employees, and has continued annual training since. In 2020, Amtrak created a human trafficking working group for its police officers.
In stations, DHS Blue Campaign posters and videos are on display for the traveling public, which numbered 28 million in fiscal year 2023.
In addition to these transportation industry partners, DHS has teamed with convenience stores, grocery stores and gas stations across the country to combat trafficking. Jeff Lenard with the National Association of Convenience Stores said their reach extends to about 250,000 stores, visited by approximately half of the U.S. population daily.
“We have to nudge our members in the right direction and tell the story of why they want to get invested in something,” said Lenard. “They are the eyes and ears in the community, and they can make a difference.”
Stores that are open 24 hours a day are “there for vulnerable people,” said Lenard. NACS offers trafficking prevention training for employees and materials to post in restrooms. Some are provided through the National Safe Place Network aimed at youth in crisis, some by an organization called Convenience Stores Against Trafficking, and some from the DHS Blue Campaign.
Lenard has seen the impact of teaming with DHS on human trafficking prevention.
“Partnerships really expand your knowledge,” he said. “You can’t just hire endless staff. When you work with a good partner, they are your staff.”
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Truckers Against Trafficking’s Sovcik is positive that the transportation industry is making a difference in trafficking prevention. She talks with truck and bus drivers who now know about the National Human Trafficking Hotline, about reporting protocols within their company.
“How do you tap into that real desire that most people have to want to do good in the world, to want to make a difference?” said Sovcik. “Provide them with information, tools, resources that can allow them to act . . . it is incredibly empowering . . . All of that is done through partnerships and a really empowerment-oriented model.”
