BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Human trafficking is the second largest criminal activity in the world and the fastest growing. Even though overall awareness in the United States has increased, human trafficking continues to go underreported due to its nature of isolation, the misconception of the definition of human trafficking and the lack of awareness of its signs and indicators.
To build awareness in these areas, the Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force sponsored Alabama Human Trafficking Awareness Day on Jan. 11, 2023. The ninth annual Alabama Human Trafficking Awareness Day aligned with the national observation.
Human trafficking occurs when an adult or child is recruited, harbored, obtained or exported through force, fraud or coercion for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labor, involuntary servitude, debt bondage and other methods of slavery.
Since 2019, municipalities across the state have declared themselves Trafficking Free Zones as defined by the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking. In order to become a Trafficking Free Zone, cities commit to training their entire staff, law enforcement and first responders in human trafficking awareness; they commit to a Zero-Tolerance HR Policy regarding soliciting commercial sex, requiring immediate
termination; they are asked to educate schools and the community through educational events and awareness and prevention programs.
Alabama Trafficking Free Zones now include the cities of Alexander City, Bessemer, Birmingham, Camp Hill, Center Point, Cullman, Dadeville, Gardendale, Homewood, Hoover, Irondale, Lakeview, Mountain Brook, Northport, Opelika, Oxford, Pinson, Rainbow City, Semmes, South Vinemont, Trussville and Vestavia Hills.
Several organizations and businesses in Alabama have also taken steps to become Trafficking Free Zones, including BH Photography, the Birmingham City Council, Coastal Alabama Community College, the District Attorney’s Office 7th Judicial Circuit of Alabama, Fowler-Davis, LLC, the Jefferson County City Council, the Jefferson County Mayor’s Association, Trafficking Hope, The World Games 2022 Birmingham and the UAB School of Medicine.
Municipalities that declared or will be declaring January 2023 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month via proclamations are Albertville, Ashland, Birmingham, Brent, Brundidge, Center Point, Chelsea, Collinsville, Cullman, Daleville, Dora, Elba, Enterprise, Fairhope, Fort Deposit, Fort Payne, Geraldine, Hamilton, Helena, Holly Pond, Killen, Kimberly, Madison, Magnolia Springs, Montevallo, Montgomery,
Mountain Brook, Northport, Phenix City, Ragland, Rainbow City, Satsuma, Semmes, Trussville, Tuscaloosa, and Vestavia Hills.
Human Trafficking Awareness Day will be followed by the Alabama Human Trafficking Summit Jan. 26-27, 2023. This two-day training will be an in-person event at the Renaissance Hotel Montgomery. To learn more about the Summit, visit www.enditalabama.org/summit.
For more information about the Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force or to register for the Alabama Human Trafficking Summit, visit www.enditalabama.org. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/enditalabama, Instagram at www.instagram.com/enditalabama and Twitter @enditalabama.
The Alabama Human Trafficking task force was established in 2014 by the Alabama state legislature. The task force combats all aspects of human trafficking, including sex trafficking and labor trafficking, pursues a comprehensive response to crimes of human trafficking, coordinates strategies to provide necessary services for victims of human trafficking, focuses prevention efforts to end the demand for human trafficking and creates awareness through education and community initiatives. The task force meets quarterly; all meetings are open to the public. Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
