Perspective: Join Trucking in Human Trafficking Battle
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Driving down a road in Missouri in 2022, a family encountered a woman walking alone, disoriented and not dressed for the conditions.
Alarm bells sounded in the head of the car’s driver. He pulled over and asked if she needed help. Establishing a rapport to overcome her apprehension, he eventually learned the heartrending and disturbing truth: She had just escaped after a month of being drugged and raped while her child was held hostage. He put her in contact with law enforcement and the resources she desperately needed.
The horrors of human trafficking are simply unfathomable. It almost defies belief that such a heinous crime could exist in the modern age. Yet, tragically, it not only exists but thrives on the periphery outside sports and entertainment venues, alongside highways and inside our communities. The statistics are sobering. In 2023, over 9,600 potential human trafficking cases, encompassing nearly 17,000 potential victims, were reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. That same year, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children was informed about more than 18,400 possible cases of child sex trafficking. But these numbers only scratch the surface. Reports of human trafficking to state and local law enforcement agencies are not always passed up the chain to nationwide organizations and federal agencies. Hundreds of thousands of cases go unseen and unreported annually.
Fortunately for the woman in Missouri, the driver of the car that night was a professional truck driver by day. Bob Bramwell’s employer had recently enrolled him in a program run by TAT, which teaches members of the transportation industry how to spot instances of human trafficking and how to fight it. Bramwell credits this guidance with helping him to quickly connect the dots. Initially, the woman insisted she was fine, but she clearly wasn’t. By gently persisting, he uncovered her shocking circumstances and got her and her child to safety.
Goetsch and Rajtik
Traffickers rely on the transportation network to relocate to avoid detection. This makes truckers like Bramwell indispensable in the effort to disrupt trafficking rings. Truck drivers bring eyes and ears to every corner of the country. The training TAT provides harnesses their compassion and vigilance to enable them to identify victims.
The criminals who inflict such evil hide in plain sight, counting on good people to be unfamiliar with human trafficking and thus overlook their sinister deeds. TAT has thwarted their attempts to lurk in the shadows by equipping more than 2 million people who work in transportation with the ability to recognize warning signs.
The scope of human trafficking is too vast for one industry to handle alone. To make a significant difference, all Americans have a responsibility to be aware so that they’re prepared to assist at any time. January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, an opportunity to commit to this battle by taking advantage of the plentiful resources available. TAT offers free courses to transportation professionals and educational materials at no cost to anyone who wants to learn more and make a difference.
David Bell, CEO of CloneOps.ai, discusses the impact of AI on the trucking industry. Tune in above or by going to RoadSigns.ttnews.com.
Also, Congress has a role to play. The trucking industry supports the National Human Trafficking Database Act and applauds Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), and Reps. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) and Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), and former Rep. Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.), for authoring it. This bill will improve data-sharing partnerships, maximizing the effectiveness of tips from the public and enhancing law enforcement’s ability to arrest predators. The faster the Senate and House pass this bill, the more lives will be saved.
In the new year, let’s resolve to take concrete steps that will bring to justice the depraved individuals who exploit our community’s most vulnerable members. Together, we can put an end to these abominable acts and rescue countless victims from the horrors of human trafficking.
Esther Goetsch is executive director of TAT and vice chair of the USDOT Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking. Sarah Rajtik is chief operating officer of American Trucking Associations and a board member of TAT.
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