Salute First Responders in the Battle Against Human Trafficking

Time to offer thanks and salute our First Responders!

The role of First Responders in the efforts dealing with COVID 19 is well known by most of us. However, few of us acknowledge their importance in fighting Human Trafficking.

Human trafficking should have no place in our Nation or world. Yet, every year thousands of trafficking victims are detected, some in our community and in our State.

In many cases it is our first responders who identifying and help victims, ensuring their access to justice, health, social assistance and protection, and prevent further abuse and exploitation. These first responders are the same heroes we rely on whether fire fighters, EMTs, law enforcement officers, social workers, health workers that are serving us during the pandemic. They are helping by responding to those victims and thereby provide a lifeline to them.

Let us support our first responders and demand that government at all levels train their employees in how to identify people who are being victimized as sex or labor slaves and how to report it.

So on this 30th of July, the day “World Day Against Trafficking in Persons” let take time to thank our first responders once more, this time for the efforts in fighting human trafficking as well as for their COVID 19 efforts.

I salute each of you for helping fight Human Trafficking!