FMCSA launches human trafficking awareness campaign

Through its new human trafficking awareness campaign, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration seeks to give commercial motor vehicle drivers the information to identify and report incidents of human trafficking.

Called,“Your Roads, Their Freedom,” the FMCSA campaign will be a nationwide effort with an emphasis in California, Florida, Michigan, New York and North Carolina. According to an FMCSA news release, these states had among the highest number of human trafficking cases or a high volume of driver traffic.

Commercial drivers at rest areas, travel centers and bus stations, among other locations where human trafficking may occur, will be focused on through this campaign.

“Human trafficking is a heinous crime, and it has no place in the transportation industry,” FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson said in a statement. “But the hard-hitting reality is that our nation’s transportation systems are exploited by human traffickers every day, and FMCSA is working to help stop it.”

The agency says the goal of the program is to “educate and empower CMV drivers and other transportation-industry employees to recognize the signs of human trafficking and report the crime to authorities.”

FMCSA said its campaign will build on other federal efforts against human trafficking including the DOT’s Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking and the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign.

The campaign urges anyone who sees or suspects any indicators of human trafficking to assess the situation. Do not attempt to confront a suspected trafficker or engage with a victim. Instead, contact local law enforcement directly and follow your company’s reporting policy if they have one in place.

From December 2007 through June 2016, truckers made 1,400 calls to the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline helping to identify 452 potential human trafficking cases, said the news release.

Learn more about the Your Roads, Their Freedom campaign on the FMCSA website. LL

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