January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and Attorney General Ashley Moody is highlighting available resources as well as tips to help parents keep children safe from online predators and traffickers. According to the U.S. Department of State, there are an estimated 27.6 million victims of human trafficking worldwide at any given time. Attorney General Moody is urging more Floridians to join in the fight to end this crime by protecting children from online traffickers and by learning how to spot and report suspicious activity.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “We have enlisted thousands of Floridians in our fight to end human trafficking. If you have not joined this vital cause yet, there is no better time to get involved than National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Visit YouCanStopHT.com to learn how you can be an anti-human trafficking hero.”
Data shows that in the United States, approximately 40% of sex trafficking victims are recruited online. Attorney General Moody urges parents and guardians to remain vigilant in safeguarding children against online predators and traffickers in the following ways:
- Open Communication: Foster open and honest conversations with children about online activities and potential risks;
- Educate About Online Safety: Teach children about the dangers of sharing personal information online and the importance of privacy settings;
- Monitor Online Activity: Regularly monitor and supervise children’s online interactions and the platforms they use; and
- Encourage Reporting Suspicious Online Encounters: Emphasize the significance of reporting any suspicious or uncomfortable online encounters to a trusted adult.
Attorney General Moody actively engages in building partnerships and creates initiatives to help train individuals on the signs of trafficking and how to report it.
Some of Attorney General Moody’s initiatives to combat human trafficking include:
- 100 Percent Club: This program recognizes companies taking proactive steps to train employees on the signs of human trafficking. Companies provide training developed by the Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking and commit to issuing a quick-reference guide for employees on how to report human trafficking. More than 8,600 employees have already taken part in the training.
- Human Trafficking Summit: As Chair of the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, Attorney General Moody hosts the annual Human Trafficking Summit—bringing together local, state and national leaders to discuss efforts to eradicate all forms of trafficking, along with hours of educational content. Content from the 2023 Human Trafficking Summit is available online through March 2024.
- Project Protect: Provides doorbell cameras to survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, stalking and sexual violence free of charge in participating Florida counties. Four counties have already joined, and the program will continue to grow; and
- Truckers Against Trafficking: A partnership between Attorney General Moody’s office, Truckers Against Trafficking, the Florida Department of Transportation, Florida Public Transportation Association, American Gaming Association and Busing on the Lookout to train employees in the gaming and passenger transportation industries on how to avoid and report human trafficking. To assist law enforcement on the highways, more than 8,500 truckers have now completed the training.
Attorney General Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution prosecutes multijudical circuit cases of human trafficking in Florida—with a nearly perfect conviction record.
Original source can be found here.