NATSO Foundation Releases Toolkit on How to Combat Human Trafficking - Toolkit Features 50-State Chart of Human Trafficking Awareness Poster Laws
The toolkit marks the latest chapter in the NATSO
Foundation’s “How Truckstops Help People” campaign, and builds upon the NATSO
Foundation’s longstanding anti-human trafficking initiative to advance public
awareness and educate the truckstop and travel plaza industry to fight human
trafficking along America’s National Highway System.
“With each new educational opportunity we further
strengthen the industry’s resolve to fight this unspeakable crime,” said
Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman, Vice President, Public Affairs for NATSO and the
NATSO Foundation. “With a growing body of resources, we are empowering the
nation’s truckstops and travel plazas to make a meaningful difference and stand
as leaders within the transportation community in its fight against human
trafficking.”
The NATSO Foundation’s latest resource offers
truckstops and travel centers a roadmap for implementing an anti-human
trafficking education and awareness program at their individual locations.
In releasing the toolkit, the NATSO Foundation
also introduced a 50-state chart of human trafficking awareness poster
laws. The chart is designed to help truckstops and travel centers understand
how to comply with state laws on human trafficking awareness. This is an
important tool for the industry as many state laws reference businesses that
provide services and amenities which many truckstop and travel plazas offer,
such as overnight truck parking, food, fuel and lodging.
"It has been nearly a decade since the NATSO
Foundation began helping members of the truckstop and travel center community
engage in the fight against human trafficking," Wlazlowski Neuman said.
"The NATSO Foundation’s goal is to provide truckstop and travel center
owners and employees with the necessary tools to inform the public about this
serious issue and train employees on how to detect and help a potential
victim."
“The Role of Truckstops in Combating Human
Trafficking”—also developed by the NATSO Foundation—is an online training
course to help truckstops and travel plazas recognize and respond to suspected
incidents of human trafficking. Since its launch, several hundred truckstops
and travel center locations across the United States have incorporated this
training into their new employee training programs.
Through an alliance with the DHS Blue Campaign,
the NATSO Foundation additionally provides the DHS Blue Campaign’s training and
awareness materials–including awareness posters that meet state requirements—to
the nation’s truckstops and travel plazas.