U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg has recently challenged all transportation stakeholders to aid in the campaign against human trafficking.
According to the DOT's website, it is currently working to prevent human trafficking by empowering transportation workers and passengers to detect and report suspected cases.
“Human trafficking takes place on every mode of transportation in America and we must change that,” Buttigieg stated in the press release. “I ask all transportation professionals to join this effort, and it’s equally important for commuters and travelers to be empowered to recognize and report signs of human trafficking anywhere it happens in our transportation systems."
Additionally, the DOT announced that A21 Campaign's Can You See Me? Roadside Billboard Initiative received the department's annual $50,000 Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award.
The award, which was established in late 2019 in response to a recommendation by the Department's Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking, provides funds to individuals and organizations using novel techniques to combat human trafficking in the transportation industry.
This announcement follows the release of a national strategy to fight human trafficking by the Biden Administration.
“This updated National Action Plan(NAP) also reflects our priority effort to end human trafficking and forced labor in global supply chains,” the White House press release states.
In an effort to support the NAP's goals, the DOT intends to promote stakeholder participation, improve transportation personnel training and awareness, and engage the traveling public.
Additionally, the DOT will work with states to guarantee that drivers convicted of human trafficking are permanently barred from driving a commercial motor vehicle that requires a commercial driver's license or a commercial learner's permit.
