Indiana State Police Part of Initiative to Increase Awareness of Human Trafficking
Indiana State Police, in partnership with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, are taking part in an initiative to raise awareness about human trafficking.
What Exactly Is Human Trafficking?
You've likely heard the phrase "human trafficking" but may not realize just how serious it is. According to the United States Department of Homeland Security, millions of people are trafficked around the world.
Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide – including right here in the United States. It can happen in any community and victims can be any age, race, gender, or nationality. - DHS
How Human Trafficking Victims Lured by Their Captors
They say traffickers use tactics like violence, manipulation, and false promises to lure their victims and that fear is used to keep victims from seeking help.
Language barriers, fear of their traffickers, and/or fear of law enforcement frequently keep victims from seeking help, making human trafficking a hidden crime. - DHS
Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative
The Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (CVED) is partnering with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance for the annual Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative taking place January 8 -12, 2024. During this initiative, Indiana State Police CVED personnel will distribute outreach materials to commercial motor vehicle drivers. The materials will be given during commercial motor vehicle inspections.
CMV drivers, crisscrossing America, are in a unique position to identify potential incidents of human <span class="markbjl2bb23k" data-markjs="true" data-ogac="" data-ogab="" data-ogsc="black" data-ogsb="rgb(255, 241, 0)">trafficking</span> and raising their awareness and providing drivers the tools to identify and report signs of human <span class="markbjl2bb23k" data-markjs="true" data-ogac="" data-ogab="" data-ogsc="black" data-ogsb="rgb(255, 241, 0)">trafficking</span> is the goal of this campaign. CVSA’s Human <span class="markbjl2bb23k" data-markjs="true" data-ogac="" data-ogab="" data-ogsc="black" data-ogsb="rgb(255, 241, 0)">Trafficking</span> Awareness Initiative will be conducted across North America: US January 8 -12, 2024, Canada February 19-23, 2024, and Mexico March 11-15, 2024.
Both organizations also work with Truckers Against Trafficking in the fight against human trafficking.
How You Can Help End Human Trafficking
Report suspected human trafficking to federal authorities, call 1-866-347-2423. If you yourself need help, you can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline by calling 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733).
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