Personal Safety and Security

RTD, Truckers Against Trafficking partner to raise awareness of human trafficking

This summer, RTD is joining members of the transportation industry across North America to educate youth, caregivers, and community members about human trafficking in age-appropriate ways. The campaign is hosted by Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), a national nonprofit committed to educating, equipping, empowering, and mobilizing members of key industries and agencies to combat human trafficking. To date, TAT has trained more than 2 million members of the transportation industry with free, industry-specific anti-trafficking resources.

Human trafficking is a global crime in which people are bought and sold for forced labor or commercial sex. Traffickers use violence, manipulation, and false promises of work opportunities or romance to lure, control, and exploit their victims. It is an unfortunate reality that human trafficking happens here in our communities and, while that might be difficult to think about, the good news is that anyone can get educated and take action.

Last May marked the inaugural Youth on Transit (YOT) Safety Month, during which RTD joined 21 TAT partners for the campaign, including 10 transit agencies across the country. Over the years, RTD has partnered with TAT on various transit-focused anti-trafficking initiatives, including providing human trafficking training for employees and displaying public awareness materials.

This year feels particularly timely for prioritizing human trafficking awareness, as communities across the United States prepare to host World Cup games in the coming months. Major sporting events like the World Cup can increase opportunities for recognizing and reporting human trafficking activity. An influx of people increases demand for commercial sex, which can increase sex trafficking. Likewise, vulnerable workers in certain industries may suffer from labor trafficking during the preparation and production of major sports events.

“When it comes to combating human trafficking in our communities, awareness is key,” said TAT Director of Industry Engagement Lexi Higgins. “We are proud to work alongside RTD to use opportunities like YOT Safety Month and the upcoming World Cup games to continue educating youth, caregivers, transit employees and community members about the issue of human trafficking, what they need to know to protect themselves and their neighbors, and how they can get involved in making a difference.”

Written by RTD Staff