U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign is a national public awareness campaign designed to educate the public, law enforcement and other industry partners to recognize the indicators of human trafficking, and how to appropriately respond to possible cases. Blue Campaign works closely with DHS Components to create general awareness training and materials for law enforcement and others to increase detection of human trafficking, and to identify victims.
Located within the Office of Partnership and Engagement, Blue Campaign leverages partnerships with the private sector, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), law enforcement and state/local authorities to maximize national public engagement on anti-human trafficking efforts. Blue Campaign’s educational awareness objectives consist of two foundational elements: prevention of human trafficking and protection of exploited persons.
“The Blue Campaign is proud to announce a new, joint partnership with the Lansing, MI Police Department and Capital Area Transportation Authority,” said Brandi Bynum, Program Manager for the DHS Blue Campaign. “Through this partnership, Blue Campaign resources, including posters, will be placed at transportation hubs throughout the City of Lansing to help local residents identify and recognize indicators of human trafficking and to help potential victims seek support. Partnerships like these enable us to help citizens recognize and report this terrible crime.”
See Say Campaign
One of the key components of CATA’s human trafficking awareness and prevention campaign is the debut of the See Say app, which invites members of the public to anonymously report safety concerns and suspicious activities, including suspected human trafficking in the Mid-Michigan region.
Over 30 North American transit agencies and major U.S. airports already use ELERTS’ system to let passengers and employees report safety and security concerns. Hundreds of reports of suspected human trafficking have already been submitted using See Say- the only crowd-sourced mobile-reporting solution cited in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s report “Combatting Human Trafficking in the Transportation Sector.”
Download the app at www.cata.org/seesay.
What is human trafficking?
- Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Every year, millions of men, women and children are trafficked worldwide – including right here in the United States. It can happen in any community and victims can be any age, race, gender or nationality. Traffickers might use the following methods to lure victims into trafficking situations:
- Violence
- Manipulation
- False promises of well-paying jobs
- Romantic relationships
- Language barriers, fear of their traffickers and/or fear of law enforcement frequently keep victims from seeking help, making human trafficking a hidden crime.
Report an incident now.