Truckers Can Serve as the Next Defense Against Human Trafficking

<p>By Doug Baker, Vice President, Industry Relations, FMI </p><img src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/stop-human-trafficking.tmb-large-350-.jpg?sfvrsn=61c7d0c5_1" style="float:right;margin:10px;" alt="stop human trafficking" class="-align-right" sf-size="100" /><p>The images on the evening news all too often depict the atrocities and horrors of human trafficking &ndash; with victims found both alive and deceased in cargo trailers on our nation&rsquo;s highways. Human trafficking is defined as the exploitation of
human beings through force, fraud or coercion for the purposes of commercial sex or forced labor. </p><p>There are an estimated 50 million victims of human trafficking across the globe, which is why <a href="https://truckersagainsttrafficking.org/current-partners/">FMI is proud to support</a> <a href="https://truckersagainsttrafficking.org/who-we-are/">Truckers Against Trafficking</a> in its mission to build a mobile army of transportation professionals combating human trafficking. </p><p>As FMI builds up to its <a href="https://www.fmi.org/asset-protection-and-grocery-resilience-conference">Asset Protection &amp; Grocery Resilience Conference</a> in March, we are reminded of the role our industry plays in enriching society and how these
professionals can bring greater awareness to the very real issue of human trafficking on our roads. Traffickers operate in plain sight and count on the public turning a blind eye. That’s why every truck driver (and really the entirety of the driving
public that stops at rest stops, gas stations, etc.) should know the red flags to look for that indicate a potential human trafficking situation. </p><p>Truckers Against Trafficking has developed tangible tools, such as an app to report instances and be an advocate for victims. <a href="https://truckersagainsttrafficking.org/app/">The app</a> is available on all mobile platforms, so it&rsquo;s a resource
you and trucking fleets can downland as part of your training programs. </p><p>There are millions of truck drivers in the U.S. and Canada. Imagine if every one of them was trained to recognize and respond to human trafficking?<br /></p><p><a href="https://truckersagainsttrafficking.org/app/" class="button">Truckers Against Trafficking App</a> </p>

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