The Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force sponsors Alabama Human Trafficking Awareness Day on January 11 to raise awareness of one of the world’s most dynamic and significant criminal activity and the impact of I-20s , I-85, I-10 and I from Alabama. -65 have on crime.

The eighth annual Alabama Human Trafficking Awareness Day aligns with national observation. Along with the statewide awareness day, a media campaign will educate citizens about human trafficking; raise awareness of human trafficking; describe the identifiers of the victim; and explain how to report potential human trafficking situations.

Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery where people profit from the exploitation of others. Victims of human trafficking can be men, women or children of all races, nationalities and socio-economic backgrounds.

Statewide support

To gain their support, mayors across the state were called upon to sign proclamations for National Human Trafficking Awareness Month in January. So far, the municipalities that declared January 2022 Human Trafficking Awareness Month by proclamation were Aliceville, Brundidge, Gadsden, Grove Hill, Monroeville, Orange Beach, Tarrant, Town of Hodges, Town of Ohatchee, the Town of Pisgah, the Town of South Vinemont and the Town of Susan Moore. Alabaster, Athens, Huntsville and Madison will sign proclamations later this month.

Several municipalities have also been designated as trafficking-free zones as defined by the American Institute Against Human Trafficking. Free trafficking zones are an initiative focused on reducing the demand for victims of trafficking through organizational training, signing a written pledge, adopting policy changes and publicly sharing the pledge of trafficking. help end trafficking. Lee County as well as Alexander City / Dadeville, Birmingham, Camp Hill, Center Point, Cullman, Gardendale, Homewood, Hoover, Irondale, Mountain Brook, Northport, Opelika, Oxford, Pinson, Trussville and Vestavia Hills have been declared free zones of traffic.

Alabama Summit on Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking Awareness Month will be crowned by the 8th Annual Human Trafficking Summit sponsored by the Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force (END IT ALABAMA). The full-day event will be held on February 4, 2022 at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel. Click on here to learn more about the Summit.

The Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force was established in 2014 by the Alabama state legislature. The working group combats all aspects of human trafficking, including sex trafficking and labor trafficking, pursues a comprehensive response to human trafficking crimes, coordinates strategies to provide necessary services to victims of human trafficking, focuses prevention efforts to end the demand for human trafficking and creates awareness through education and community initiatives. The working group meets quarterly; All meetings are open to the public.

Click here to download a leaflet on Warning Signs and Contacts for Reporting Suspicions of Human Trafficking.

Facts about human trafficking

(Compiled by End It Alabama)

• Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal activity and the second largest criminal activity in the world, just behind drug trafficking. (US Department of Health and Human Services)
• Around $ 150 billion is generated worldwide from trafficking activities annually. (International Labor Organization)
• One in three victims of exploitation and trafficking in human beings detected is a child. (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
• An estimated 600,000 to 800,000 victims are trafficked into the United States each year. (US Department of State)
• I-20, I-85, I-10 and I-65 are major corridors for human trafficking. The I-20 has been identified as the “United States Human Trafficking Highway”. These freeways cause significant traffic activity in Alabama and along the Gulf Coast where Alabama children travel each year for spring break.
• At any one time, the Global Slavery Index estimates that 6,000 people are trafficked in the state of Alabama and, based on preliminary research from the University of Alabama, more than half of the victims of trafficking are children.
• In Alabama in 2017, 57% of human trafficking victims were minors. (End Alabama Mining Exploitation)

Resources of the Missionary Union of Women

WorldCrafts supports the campaign for freedom

The WorldCrafts Support Freedom campaign actively empowers our customers, buyers and artisans by supporting groups working to free women involved in or threatened with human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Click here to find out more.

Traffic: fighting to be free

This hour-long simulation teaches the realities of human trafficking and how to help rescued victims. Participants walk to stations that represent common traps in human trafficking and follow scenarios that tell the progressive stories of the victim they represent. The simulation includes a Bible study and a debriefing time for personal reflection. Participants come away with a more personal understanding of what it might be like to deal with this type of exploitation and a better understanding of how the church can respond and engage with those rescued. Click here to find out more.

Trafficking in human beings: the Church’s response

This self-guided online mini-course will give you an overview of human trafficking. Resources will be provided to conduct training conferences on the issue and on how you can get involved in the fight against human trafficking. Click here to find out more.