Jan. 11 is Alabama Human Trafficking Awareness Day

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Human trafficking is the fastest growing and second largest criminal activity in the world. Alabama’s I-20, I-85, I-10 and I-65 are major corridors for human trafficking, specifically I-20, which has been identified as the “superhighway for human trafficking in the United States.”

These interstates bring significant trafficking activity into Alabama. To heighten awareness, the Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force is sponsoring Alabama HumanTrafficking Awareness Day on Jan. 11. The eighth annual Alabama Human Trafficking Awareness Day aligns with the national observation. In conjunction with the statewide awareness day, a media campaign will educate citizens about human trafficking; raise awareness about human trafficking; outline victim identifiers; and explain how to report potential human trafficking situations.

Human Trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery where people profit from the exploitation of others. Victims of human trafficking can be men, women or children of all races, nationalities and socioeconomic backgrounds.

To garner support, mayors across the state have been asked to sign proclamations in observance of National Human Trafficking Awareness Month in January. Chelsea Mayor Tony Picklesimer signed the proclamation at a recent city council meeting.  

Several municipalities have also been designated Trafficking Free Zones as defined by the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking. Trafficking Free Zones are an initiative focused on reducing the demand for trafficked victims via organizational training, signing a written pledge, enacting policy changes and publicly sharing the commitment to help end trafficking. 

Human Trafficking Awareness Month will be capped off by the 8th Annual Human Trafficking Summit sponsored by the Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force (END IT ALABAMA). The one-day event is being held on February 4, 2022, at the Renaissance Hotel Montgomery. To learn more about the summit, visit https://www.enditalabama.org/summit.