Last week, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody recognized National Human Trafficking Prevention Month by highlighting resources to help Floridians spot and report the crime.
According to the most recent study by Polaris, Florida ranks third highest in the number of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. It is important to remember that human trafficking can happen anywhere at any time. Raising public awareness of this evil trade will help law enforcement rescue victims and save lives.
“Human trafficking is an atrocious crime and if we are going to end this illicit practice in Florida, it will take all of us working together. In recognition of this important month, I am calling on Floridians to learn the signs of human trafficking and how to alert law enforcement to suspicious behavior. Find out more by visiting our website YouCanStopHT.com,” Moody said.
The latest data from Polaris shows more than 700 trafficking cases reported to the hotline from Florida in 2020.
Human trafficking knows no bounds and claims victims of all ages, sexes, ethnicities and demographics. Signs that a person might be a victim of human trafficking include:
Seeming to be under the control of another individual;
Responding as if coached, or letting someone else speak for them;
Acting fearful, anxious or paranoid;
Displaying branding scars, burns, tattoos or having serious dental issues; and
Being malnourished, disoriented, confused or showing other signs of physical abuse.
To report an occurrence or suspicion of human trafficking, contact local law enforcement, call the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s human trafficking number at 1(800) 342-0820 and the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1(888) 373-7888.
For even more information about how to spot and report human trafficking, visit YouCanStopHT.com.
Fighting human trafficking is a major priority for Moody, who serves as chair on the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking. The council consists of 15 members from law enforcement, prosecutors, legislators and experts in the health, education and social service fields who work to build on existing state and local partnerships to combat human trafficking.
Last October, Moody kicked off the 2021 Human Trafficking Summit. The summit is being offered virtually for the second year in a row and brings together local, state and national leaders to eradicate all forms of trafficking. Almost 4,000 attendees from more than 40 states have registered to watch the summit and accessed hours of educational content and breakout sessions. Learning opportunities created at the Human Trafficking Summit allow Florida to continue working to protect victims, prevent trafficking and prosecute traffickers.
That same month, Moody and FLHSMV celebrated the one-year anniversary of Highway Heroes. Highway Heroes is a multifaceted outreach campaign that includes awareness materials mailed directly to Commercial Driver License holders and a website with resources to educate drivers about how to identify victims and report suspected human trafficking. Since the launch of the campaign, more than 4,400 commercial truck drivers received anti-human trafficking training and are now equipped to help keep an eye on Florida’s 12,000 miles of highways and report suspicious activity to law enforcement.
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