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Together We Can Fight Human Trafficking

Maria Odom
Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman

Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Blue Campaign is launching two new tools to help raise public consciousness of the terrible crime of human trafficking across the Nation.

The Blue Campaign was founded on the simple premise that if everyone in the United States knows what human trafficking is, together we can work to end human trafficking in the United States.  Every year, thousands of human trafficking cases are reported to law enforcement, but many more go unnoticed. While the Department of Homeland Security works alongside state and local law enforcement each day to combat human trafficking in our communities, we cannot do it alone.  We need your help to bring human trafficking out of the shadows.   

The new Blue Campaign video provides a brief overview of what human trafficking is, what it looks like here in the United States, and what we must do together to end it. 

 

The Blue Campaign infographic shows what human trafficking looks like in the United States.

What is Human Trafficking? Blue Campaign. One Voice. One Mission. End Human Trafficking. *** Human trafficking is: modern day slavery; exploiting a person through force, fraud, or coercion; sex trafficking, forced labor, and domestic servitude; happening everywhere, even in the United States; and victims can be U.S. Citizens or of any nationality, age, socioeconomic status, or gender; any person under the age of 18 involved in a commercial sex act. *** Blue Campaign. One Voice. One Mission. End Human Trafficking. dhs.gov/blue-campaignHuman trafficking is a highly profitable crime. Human Smuggling and Human Trafficking are different crimes. *** Human smuggling is the illegal movement of someone across a border.  Human trafficking is the illegal exploitation of a person. *** Human trafficking is happening in the United States. *** It is happening everywhere - suburbs, rural towns, cities. *** It can happen to anyone no matter race, age or gender. *** Blue Campaign. One Voice. One Mission. End Human Trafficking. dhs.gov/blue-campaign There are different types of human trafficking. *** Sex Trafficking. Sex trafficking victims are manipulated or forced against their will to engage in sex acts for money. Sex traffickers might use violence, threats, manipulation, or the promise of love and affection to lure victims.  Truck stops, hotel rooms, rest areas, street corners, clubs, and private residences are just some of the places where victims are forced to sell sex. *** Forced Labor.  Victims of forced labor could be found in factories, or farms, doing construction work, and more.  Very often victims are forced to manufacture or grow products that we use and consume every day.  Through force, fraud, or coercion, victims are made to work for little or no pay. *** Every year in the United States thousands of human trafficking cases are reported, but many more go unnoticed.  Human trafficking is a hidden crime.  Victims might be afraid to come forward, or we may not recognize the signs, even if it is happening right in front of us.  We need to bring this crime out of the shadows. *** How the Department of Homeland Security is fighting human trafficking.  The Department of Homeland Security created the Blue Campaign to take a stand against modern day slavery and help combat this heinous crime by raising awareness of homan trafficking around the country. *** Blue Campaign. One Voice. One Mission. End Human Trafficking. dhs.gov/blue-campaignWhat you can do to stop human trafficking. *** Join the DHS Blue Campaign.  Visit the Blue Campaign website: dhs.gov/blue-campaign.  Learn more about the signs and indicators of human trafficking: dhs.gov/blue-campaign/awareness-training.  Spread the word - download and share anti-human trafficking materials: dhs.gov/blue-campaign/resource-catalog.  View and share our Public Service Announcement: dhs.gov/blue-campaign-video. Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/bluecampaign *** Be an informed consumer. Know who makes the products you buy and the food you eat to help keep slavery tainted items out of your home.  Visit the Department of Labor list of goods that could be subject to human trafficking at dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods *** Recognize and report suspected human trafficking.  To contact federal law enforcement, call 1-866-DHS-2-ICE.  Or submit a tip online at www.ice.gov/tips.  For victim support from the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC), call 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to Befree(233733). Help us bring this crime out of the shadows and into the light. Join the Blue Campaign. *** Blue Campaign. One Voice. One Mission. End Human Trafficking. dhs.gov/blue-campaign

By learning the signs and indicators of human trafficking, you can potentially recognize and report instances of human trafficking happening in your community. As the summer travel season approaches, we need your support more than ever so we can identify and stabilize victims, investigate traffickers, and bring them to justice.

These new resources are especially valuable because you can easily display them through your social media channels. Please download the video and the infographic, and share them with your communities.  We need your help to share this important information.     

We encourage you to learn more about the Blue Campaign by visiting our website: www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign.

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