How many times have you walked past a small massage business
without any thought to what might actually be happening behind the opaque
doorway and the glowing sign welcoming patrons? Have you ever given thought to
the working conditions of the people washing the dishes at the restaurant you
dined at last night? Would it shock you to know that modern slavery exists,
that it is one of the fastest growing crimes worldwide, and that it is
estimated to make more than $32 billion a year globally?
Human trafficking in the sex trade and labor industries is
big business - very big business - denying freedom to millions of women,
children, and men in the U.S. and around the world. It's organized,
sophisticated, and nimble, and traffickers come up with dozens of savvy ways to
control the people they exploit. A better way to think about trafficking is this: traffickers
run enterprises wherever they believe they can make high profits with little
risk, and their operations rapidly evolve to changing market dynamics. They
adapt to change better and faster than many large corporations. The sophisticated
human trafficking industry must be met head-on with similarly adept
counter-marketing, legal mechanisms, policy reform, and other strategic
interventions to expose and disrupt the networks and systems that profit off
the pain, suffering, and exploitation of others. At its core, human trafficking
is a business. We have to fight it like one.
That's why Clear Channel Outdoor and Polaris Project are
partnering to significantly raise the profile of this crime. We've expanded our
billboard campaigns from cities like Baltimore, Las Vegas, and Phoenix to New
York City and New Jersey as more than 500,000 football fans descend on the
region and when the eyes of the nation are turned east for the biggest sporting
event of the year. Seizing this invaluable opportunity, our new campaign will
make nearly 10 million impressions over a two week period around the Super
Bowl.
To the public, our message is simple - you can play a role
in stopping human trafficking by understanding the facts and reaching out to the
national human trafficking hotline if you suspect someone is being victimized.
To the men, women, and children being exploited, our message is a hopeful one -
know that there is a way out and that there are resources available to help.
We know partnerships like these work. The trucking industry,
through the organization
Truckers Against Trafficking, has trained thousands of
truckers about the signs of human trafficking and when to call the national
hotline. As a result of these efforts, the national hotline has received nearly
800 phone calls from truckers, including calls with valuable tips and
information.
The financial sector can also take steps to cripple the
trafficking industry by reporting suspicious financial transactions that may be
tied to human trafficking operations. The hospitality industry can partner with
organizations to train hotel staff on preventing and detecting sex and labor
trafficking. Workers can learn how to spot when pimps are controlling women and
girls and are trying to use hotel rooms as a transient and anonymous venue for
commercial sex. And of course, media can play a role, as Clear Channel Outdoor
has, by exposing the trafficking industry, raising public awareness, and
inspiring victims to seek help. By applying pressure points like these, we
create more risk and make modern slavery less profitable.