January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month

LAKE OSWEGO – Every year since 2010, the President of the United States has dedicated the month of January to raise awareness about human trafficking and to educate the public about how to identify and prevent this crime. This month is also to celebrate the efforts that the collaborative partners of state, federal, and international government agencies, law enforcement officials, survivor advocates, communities of faith, lived experience experts, and non-profits in their dedication towards the anti-trafficking movement.

A common misconception of human trafficking is that it requires the movement of people for it to be a crime. Although the movement of victims may occur either internationally or domestically it is not required to charge someone with the crime. This is an important factor to remember because it better helps identify victims who are being trafficked out of their community and/or home.

There is also a national hotline for connecting victims of human trafficking with services called the National Human Trafficking Hotline. You can learn more about the hotline at https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/about-us.

Learn about how you can help fight this crime here: https://www.state.gov/20-ways-you-can-help-fight-human-trafficking/. 

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