January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month
January has been observed as the National Human Trafficking Prevention month since 2010 when President Obama declared January “National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.” Every president since 2010 has also proclaimed January as Human Trafficking Prevention Month to continue raising awareness and education around human trafficking.
National Human Trafficking Day is recognized on January 11th. The Blue Campaign is a national awareness campaign that is housed within the Office of Partnership and Engagement and works closely with the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking. The Blue Campaign provides human trafficking education to the public, law enforcement, and other agencies. On National Human Trafficking Day, The Blue Campaign runs a social media campaign called #WearBlueDay to raise awareness of human trafficking by asking people to wear blue and post on social media along with the #WearBlue hashtag.
Human trafficking is when someone uses force, coercion or fraud to exploit an adult person into slave labor or sexual exploitation. If minors under the age of 18 are engaging in commercial sex, then they are victims of human trafficking regardless of whether the use of force, coercion, or fraud are present. Anyone purchasing commercial sex from a minor can also be charged with human trafficking.
In honor of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Friend to Friend will be placing awareness posters with human trafficking information and blue flags around the historic courthouse in downtown Carthage. Friend to Friend will also be participating in Wear Blue Day on January 11th and encourages everyone else to do the same to raise awareness of human trafficking.
Friend to Friend believes that the prevention of violence starts with education. Friend to Friend offers several human trafficking trainings through its 1,000 Eyes Wide Open curriculum designed for the general community, church groups, volunteer organizations, parents, youth, and other industry specific agencies such as healthcare, hospitality industry, law enforcement, etc. These trainings are designed to provide an overview of human trafficking, how to spot the warning signs, and how to appropriately respond and report potential instances of human trafficking. If you are interested in learning more about human trafficking or hosting a human trafficking training or awareness event, please contact Holly at 910-947-1703 or at holly@friendtofriend.me.
