Anti-trafficking Heroes 2: Truckers Against Trafficking
In a recent post, I pointed out that human trafficking is a many faceted problem. For this reason, the organizations and agencies that combat trafficking must employ a multitude of different strategies. Against them stand the traffickers themselves, who have their own strategies to avoid detection. Thorn, an organization I highlighted in another post, fights traffickers using technology. But in the world of sex trafficking, pimps will often move girls from one city to another, both to remain anonymous and to separate the victims from their families and from those who might provide help and rescue. A trafficked girl could start out in San Diego but end up in Las Vegas. Moving victims around means that they must travel America’s highways and utilize America’s gas stations and truck stops.
Enter Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT). TAT is the creation of Lyn Thompson, Kendis Paris, and Kylla Lanier. Looking for their place in the fight against injustice, they heard about an effort to train gas station and truck stop workers to recognize and report signs of sex trafficking. This led them to the realization that if America’s truckers could be trained as well, they could be invaluable eyes and ears in the fight against sex trafficking.
Consider a common scenario, a pimp may force underage victims to work in a truck stop. These prostitutes, known as “lot lizards,” roam the truck stop, where truckers will pay them for sex. Of course it’s a crime, but it is one that is all too often not reported. Since the majority of truckers, though, are honest and hard-working people, arming as many of them as possible with the ability to both recognize victims and report crimes gives these children a chance to be found by authorities and removed from a life of forced prostitution.
Since TAT’s inception in 2009, it has had an incredible impact. Here are just a few of the statistics and accomplishments listed on the TAT website, www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org:
• Calls into the national hotline have skyrocketed since TAT’s inception.
• Recovery stories of women and children who were being trafficked for commercial sex are coming in.
• The trucking industry is partnering with law enforcement in our coalition builds all across the nation.
• Congress recognized the work of the trucking industry via TAT on its floor.
• The trucking industry gained global recognition when TAT was included in the United Nation’s 100 Best Practices list to combat human trafficking.
• Tens of thousands now follow us via our social media channels and are being pro-active in bringing this message back to their companies.
• Winner of the Norma Hoteling Award for Demand Reduction.
• Truckers are increasing awareness to the general public as well– through the school system, in churches, neighborhoods, on the backs or sides of their trucks, and at conferences.
• The FBI, USDOT, OMVE, AAMVA, DHS and the AG’s office have begun to partner with the trucking industry on a variety of levels to get this message out to those who need it most.
TAT has trained nearly 500,000 people and distributed over 1,000,000 wallet cards containing information about how to recognize and report trafficking. Truckers have made nearly 2000 calls to the national hotline, identifying hundred of trafficking cases. These are incredible accomplishments for an organization less than 10 years old! The list of companies that have partnered with TAT is no less impressive: Bridgestone, Volvo, FedEx, Peterbilt, UPS, Kenworth, Love’s, Walmart Transportation, Carrier, and many more.
So, what can you do to help?
• If you are a trucker, get TAT certified. Call 612-888-2050 ❏
• Follow TAT on Facebook ❏
• Follow TAT on Twitter @TATkylla ❏
• Donate here (link) ❏
• Download the TAT app for iOS ❏
M.
Sources:
• www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org
• Belles, Nita. In Our Backyard: Human Trafficking In America And What We Can Do To Stop It. Baker Books, 2015
1 thought on “Anti-trafficking Heroes 2: Truckers Against Trafficking”
This is incredible. It is amazing how something as simple as awareness can make such a huge difference.
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