U.S. Department of Transportation Announces New Bilingual Counter-Trafficking Materials in Observance of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Contact: pressoffice@dot.gov

U.S. Department of Transportation Announces New Bilingual Counter-Trafficking Materials in Observance of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) marks UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons amid ongoing efforts to ensure that counter-trafficking public awareness and outreach materials for the transportation sector are trauma-informed, survivor-centered, and culturally responsive. 

“Everyone — whether you’re a frontline transportation worker or a member of the general public—has a role to play in detecting and preventing human trafficking,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “As we recognize UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, we have an opportunity to further educate the traveling public on how to recognize and report suspected human trafficking and combat these sinister crimes.” 

Human trafficking is a crime that involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain labor or a commercial sex act. The 2021 National Outreach Survey on Transportation found that 81% of 107 survivors of human trafficking utilized transportation during their recruitment, 76% used transportation during the course of their exploitation, and 52% stated that transportation facilitated their exit or escape from their trafficking situation. 

To advance innovative and shareable solutions to combat human trafficking in the transportation sector, USDOT is proud to administer its annual $50,000 Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Awards. Secretary Buttigieg announced the following 2024 winners: 

• 1st Place: TAT (formerly Truckers Against Trafficking) for their “Youth on Transportation Initiative” proposal to develop a community-wide training and awareness campaign focused on youth, families, and adults.
  
  
• 2nd Place: Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority for their “Project S.O.A.R.” proposal to develop a multimodal comprehensive awareness campaign, enhance training, and expand partnerships to support victims.
  
  
• 3rd Place: The Oklahoma Transit Association for expanding their “Rolling Oklahoma Classroom” to provide regional access through their mobile human trafficking awareness vehicle in eight surrounding states to raise awareness for rural and tribal communities.

Since 2012, USDOT has built partnerships with public and private sector transportation stakeholders through its Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking (TLAHT) initiative and advanced mode-specific programs across the Department to combat the crime. Today, USDOT is launching:

• NEW TLAHT Awareness Campaign survivor-informed materials, including Spanish language versions of the TLAHT multimodal training and poster series, English/Spanish language mode-specific pocket cards, and a new victim-facing multimodal sign for transportation stakeholders to post in accordance with Public Law 117-301.
  
  
• UPDATED TLAHT Compendium of Human Trafficking Awareness State and Territory Laws, which compiles transport-specific counter-trafficking laws in U.S. states and territories including data collection, training requirements, and the posting of the National Human Trafficking Hotline. 

The joint USDOT/U.S. Department of Homeland Security Blue Lightning Initiative (BLI), which trains aviation personnel to identify potential traffickers and human trafficking victims, is expanding to include a video that addresses common misconceptions about reporting human trafficking suspicions to the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tip Line, with insights from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), HSI Agents, Federal Air Marshals, and Customs and Border Protection Officers.

The Department’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is also holding a press conference today to #PutTheBrakesOnHumanTrafficking by highlighting its efforts along with roadway safety partners and commercial motor vehicle drivers.

On July 31, USDOT is co-hosting a webinar with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on “Building Effective Public Awareness and Outreach Efforts for the Transportation Sector” between 3:00pm-4:30pm EDT. The webinar focuses on best practices for the transportation sector to ensure public awareness and outreach efforts to address human trafficking are trauma-informed, person-centered, culturally responsive, and data driven.  The webinar will be recorded and made available online following the event. To register, please click here.

With recommendations from multimodal industry representatives and subject matter experts on the Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking (ACHT), USDOT will continue to bolster counter-trafficking efforts across its programs and promote best practices in the field to support public safety for frontline workers, travelers, and underserved communities. The final ACHT public meetings will be held virtually on August 14 and September 6. To register, please email trafficking@dot.gov. 

For more information and to stay up to date on USDOT counter-trafficking efforts throughout the year, please visit https://www.transportation.gov/stophumantrafficking and subscribe to Human Trafficking email updates.

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