LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – During National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Michigan State Police (MSP) motor carrier officers are teaming up with officers from across the nation and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) to raise awareness of human trafficking.
Motor carrier officers are armed members of the Michigan State Police responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. They work closely with anyone who is driving for-hire including truckers. The CVSA is a nonprofit organization comprised of local, state, provincial, territorial and federal commercial motor vehicle safety officials and industry representatives.
How does the awareness campaign work?
MORE NEWS: Report: Less Than 1% of Michigan’s Workforce Made Minimum Wage in 2023
From January 8th through the 12th, MSP motor carrier officers will join with their colleagues in law enforcement, CVSA, and the organization Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) to educate motorists about the signs of human trafficking and to enforce laws that crack down on traffickers. TAT is an organization that exists to educate, equip, empower and mobilize members of the trucking, bus and energy industries to combat human trafficking.
The goal of this week-long, nationwide human trafficking initiative is to raise awareness and educate those individuals in positions to observe human trafficking taking place, such as commercial motor vehicle drivers, public transportation companies, rest area attendants and truck stop employees.
What are red flags we can look for?
Red flags for everyone to look for include seeing a potential victim with a lack of knowledge of their whereabouts; restricted or controlled communication; a van or RV that seems out of place; seeing a passenger vehicle with multiple people getting out and going from truck to truck; someone talking about a “quota;” and signs of branding (tattooing).
The MSP first partnered with TAT in 2015 and has since been recognized as a national leader in human trafficking awareness and education.
Genesee County and its billboard campaign.
Genesee County Sheriff, Chris Swanson, is also bringing awareness to human trafficking to the state of Michigan by displaying 62 billboards across all the major expressways in Michigan for the entire year. Sheriff Swanson told WNEM-TV5, “Awareness. It’s part of the whole algorithm to try to end this horrible, tragic, criminal enterprise that’s the fastest growing in the world.”
His billboards have his quote, “If you don’t love your kids, someone else will.” He adds, “It’s a provocative message that gets people to think and react in order for them to protect the most important assets of their life, and that’s their own family. You have to have a daily investment into your family,” he said. “You need to know who they’re hanging out with, who they’re talking to, who they’re online with. And that’s what predators do. They tap into those empty spaces that are not being filled with people that do care.”
MORE NEWS: Michigan Supreme Court Rejects Appeal from Ex-GRPD Officer Facing Murder Charge
Sheriff Swanson has been taking down human trafficking criminals with the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team, G.H.O.S.T., which he says has arrested over 200 predators since 2018 – and has never lost a case in court.
What is the Polaris Project?
The Polaris Project, which operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline in the United States, also provides data and insights into human trafficking trends. The organization reports that human trafficking can happen to anyone but some people are more vulnerable than others. Their research shows “Significant risk factors include recent migration or relocation, substance use, mental health concerns, involvement with the child welfare system and being a runaway or homeless youth. Often, traffickers identify and leverage their victims’ vulnerabilities in order to create dependency.”
What’s the data?
Their most recent statistics from 2021 show 10,359 situations of human trafficking were reported to the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline involving 16,554 individual victims. As shocking as these numbers are, they are likely only a fraction of the actual problem.
In their analysis of the 2021 data, they found that recruitment for human trafficking is generally recruited by someone the victim knows such as a family member or caregiver (33%), an intimate partner (28%), or an employer (22%). However, as a whole, the internet remained the top reported recruitment location. Recent Migration/Relocation remained the most frequently reported risk factor or vulnerability identified, applying to just over half (54%) of all likely victims with a known risk factor/vulnerability; this also applied to 93% of likely victims of labor trafficking. Other risk factors include mental or physical health concern; substance use concern; unstable housing and runaway/homeless youth.
What are the demographics of the victims?
The demographics of the victims show that 67% are female, 17% are male and 1% are gender minorities (transgender males, transgender females, and non-binary or gender non-conforming individuals).
Reported demographics of the race victims doesn’t come into play in this report because a whopping 72% of the victims listed as “unknown” race. 14% are listed as Latinx, followed by 5% Asian, 5% Caribbean, 4% Caucasian/White and 3% African American or Black.
To report suspected human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resources Center at 888-373-7888 or text BeFree to 233733.
Leave a Comment
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.