[By Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking]
It was recently announced by the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO that they have joined the fight against human trafficking. This is amazing news since traffickers tend to use our Highways throughout the U.S to transport victims of labor trafficking and sex trafficking. We know that traffickers move their victim, from city to city, state to state as a way to keep them isolated. By members of the TTD becoming involved, maybe more victims of human trafficking will be identified and rescued. For more details, here is the official press release.
ORLANDO, FL—The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), has joined the battle to thwart the scourge of human trafficking that is being carried out in the nation’s transportation system.
“As many as 27 million women, men and children are sold into prostitution, domestic servitude or other forced labor in dark corners across the globe,” the TTD Executive Committee declared at its annual winter meeting, pointing out that those involved in the human trafficking trade regularly “whisk their victims” throughout our transportation system.
“Our rank-and-file members are in a unique position to contribute to this global fight since human trafficking occurs in their workplaces,” said TTD President Edward Wytkind.
In a unanimously adopted policy statement, the Executive Committee endorsed the Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking initiative led by the Department of Transportation (DOT) in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“We commend Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for leading on this critical issue and for seeking a partnership with transportation unions whose members are the eyes and ears of our transportation system that can help identify human trafficking enterprises,” Wytkind said.
The TTD 33-member Executive Committee pledged to combine leadership, education and training, and public awareness and outreach efforts, with hopes of having a “collective impact to combat this atrocity head on.”
Last October, DOT joined the DHS Blue Campaign and began training all 55,000 DOT employees and 20,000 contractors on ways to identify common signs of human trafficking. And Amtrak, most of whose workers belong to TTD-affiliated unions, has committed to training its 20,000 employees on tactics for identifying and reporting suspected instances of human trafficking. Other employers are following suit.