This month, HIRTA is joining transit agencies and other members of the transportation industry across North America for Youth on Transportation Safety Month, a campaign dedicated to educating youth and parents about human trafficking in age-appropriate ways. The month is hosted by TAT (Truckers Against Trafficking), a national nonprofit committed to to educating, equipping, empowering and mobilizing members of key industries and agencies to combat human trafficking. To date, TAT has trained over 2 million members of the transportation industry with free, industry-specific anti-trafficking resources.

Human trafficking is a global crime in which people are bought and sold for forced labor or commercial sex. Traffickers use violence, manipulation and false promises of work opportunities or romance to lure, control and exploit their victims. It’s an unfortunate reality that human trafficking happens here in our communities and, while that might be scary or sad to think about, the good news is that anyone can get educated and take action.

“Creating innovative solutions to combat human trafficking in the transportation industry is deeply important to us, and the Youth on Transportation Initiative serves as a shining example of that creativity,” says TAT Executive Director Esther Goetsch. “Through this initiative, and with the support of our dedicated transportation and public sector partners, we believe that more young people in diverse communities across our country will be better safeguarded from exploitation as they travel throughout their day.”

HIRTA has partnered with TAT for over five years now on transit-focused anti-trafficking initiatives, including providing human trafficking training for employees and displaying public awareness materials throughout the years. This month, you may notice posters on HIRTA buses that highlight the Youth on Transportation Safety Month campaign and share resources available for youth and parents to learn more about the issue and how they can get involved.

•         Learn more about TAT’s Youth on Transportation Initiative here: www.tatnonprofit.org/youth-on-transportation.

•         Access resources for youth: www.tatnonprofit.org/youth

•         Access resources for parents: www.tatnonprofit.org/parents