Today is the first day of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) five-day Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative in Mexico.
Mexico’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) has prioritized participating in this annual educational and outreach effort. Its goals are to raise awareness, provide training and disseminate information about human trafficking identification and prevention to commercial motor vehicle drivers, administrative staff, public servants and the general public. Through SICT’s educational efforts, these individuals will have the knowledge to detect risk indicators of potential victims of human trafficking and utilize an anonymous, secure and confidential means of reporting.
This week, Mexican law enforcement jurisdictions will track human trafficking awareness and outreach activities and submit that data to the Alliance. CVSA will gather the information and report the results this summer.
In addition, in the months leading up to the awareness campaign, CVSA educated its membership and the general public on human trafficking awareness and prevention through webinars, radio appearances and online resources. And through a collaboration with SICT, Well of Life, Citizen Council for Security and Justice of Mexico City, and Truckers Against Trafficking, drivers and motor carriers were provided complimentary wallet cards and access to a Spanish-language educational video on human trafficking awareness and prevention.
According to the United Nations, human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception with the aim of exploiting them for profit. Men, women and children of all ages and from all backgrounds can become victims of this crime, which occurs in every region of the world.
“CVSA’s law enforcement and motor carrier communities are committed to bringing attention to human trafficking,” said CVSA President Maj. Chris Nordloh with the Texas Department of Public Safety. “Working together, we will put an end to this crime.”
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking in Mexico, call the national hotline at 800-5533-000. In the U.S., call 888-373-7888. Hotlines are confidential, free of charge and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For more information on the Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative in Mexico, contact the Mexico City Citizen Council for Security and Justice via email or by visiting the website.
CVSA is comprised of local, state, provincial, territorial and federal commercial motor vehicle safety officials and industry representatives in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. As a North American organization, Canada and the U.S. are also participating in CVSA’s 2023 Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative. In the U.S., the initiative took place Jan. 9-13 and in Canada, the initiative was Feb. 20-24.
The Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative is part of CVSA’s Human Trafficking Prevention Program. The program seeks to reduce human trafficking across North America through coordinated enforcement, investigative measures and educational awareness resources within the commercial motor vehicle industry.
View last year’s Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative results.