Welcome to Not All Heroes Wear Capes: Human Trafficking Awareness
This course outlines what a driver should look for and how to respond if human trafficking is suspected. The course was created in partnership with TAT, formerly known as Truckers Against Trafficking. There is an optional video at the start of this course. If you feel uncomfortable with the subject matter, you can continue without watching it.
Time
This course will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Navigating This Course
This course is mobile friendly. You can take it on your phone or on a computer. Select the cards below for tips on taking this course on your phone.
Press the tabs below to learn the meaning of each color status.
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When you see a "CONTINUE" button, select it to unlock the next section of the course.
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Human Trafficking in Transportation Video - What is it, what does it look like, what can you do?
The following video contains examples of human trafficking that some might find disturbing or uncomfortable. It’s been provided to Amazon as a resource from TAT (formerly Truckers Against Trafficking). Be mindful of your surroundings when watching this video.
Viewing this content is voluntary. Closed captioning is available if you do not feel comfortable listening without headphones.
What is trafficking?
Human trafficking exists whenever people are bought and sold for forced labor or commercial sex. Around the world, it is estimated that there are over 50 million victims of human trafficking. While illegal, there are still hundreds of thousands of victims of human trafficking that have been reported in all 50 states.
Traffickers recruit out of schools, online, in shopping malls, the streets, and other locations. A large percentage of the people trafficked are women and children. They can be found on the street, in private homes, or in businesses such as restaurants, truck stops, and motels.
Facts and stats
- There are over 50 million victims of human trafficking globally.
- Human trafficking is a $236 billion criminal activity, globally.
- Human trafficking happens in all 50 states, as well as, D.C. and Canada.
- Thousands of children are at risk of being prostituted in the U.S. each year.
- Victims of human trafficking are disproportionately women and girls of color.
- A victim may be forced to have sex up to 20 times a day.
Did you know?
There is no such thing as a "child prostitute" or a "teen prostitute." Anyone under the age of 18 being sold for commercial sex is a victim of sex trafficking.
Human traffickers: It might not be so obvious
Human traffickers come in all shapes, sizes, genders, races, ages, and from any socio-economic status.
A sixty-three-year-old man, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison followed by up to 20 years of court supervision, in 2018, after pleading guilty to trafficking girls for sexual activity in Wyoming. (HeraldNet.com)
In 2020, former U.S. Army reservist, was sentenced to 40 years in prison and 30 years of supervised release, for six counts of sex trafficking and running a prostitution ring in Charlotte, NC. He was previously convicted, in 2018, of six counts of sex trafficking and one count of using an interstate facility to promote a prostitution enterprise. (wbtv.com)
A six-month investigation in 2016, led to the arrest of five individuals accused of forcing at least 28 victims into prostitution spanning nine counties across Central and Southern California. (San Gabriel Valley Tribune)
In 2013, India’s deputy consul in New York was arrested and accused of forcing her house keeper to work 16 hours a day for $3 per hour and of obtaining the house keeper’s visa fraudulently. The maid was brought to the U.S. on a special visa designed to allow diplomats to bring local staff with them during their postings. The diplomat lied to U.S. officials, telling them she intended on paying the maid $4,500 per month. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
In 2016, two men were arrested in Pennsylvania on charges of sex trafficking, child pornography, and sex assault. Police recovered about 1,000 DVDs, thumb drives, or other electronic storage devices that contained over 50,000 images and videos including local high school students. (6abc.com)
Common terminology
Here is some common vocabulary used when discussing human trafficking. Press the (+) icons to learn more before moving on.
One who works to end human trafficking.
The exchange of sexual services with a minor for anything of value (money, drugs, food, a place to stay, etc.).
A term used to describe the buyers, who provide the economic “demand” for prostitution and sex trafficking (which traffickers respond with a “supply” of sex trafficking victims).
The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.
A buyer of commercial sex.
Know what red flags to look for:
- Lack of knowledge of one’s whereabouts; not in control of ID/passport.
- Restricted or controlled communication; not allowed to speak for self.
- CB chatter about “commercial company” or flashing lights signaling “buyer” location.
- Acknowledgment of a handler and making a quota.
- Signs of branding or tattooing of trafficker’s name (often on neck).
- A vehicle that seems out of place near trucks; a vehicle dropping someone off at a truck and picking them up 15-20 minutes later.
How should you respond?
If you are approached...
Do not invite people into your truck or attempt to “rescue” anyone. If you feel unsafe, always call 911 or drive away to a safe location.
IF you are comfortable, here are some questions you could ask. Press each image below to reveal the question.
When is the last time you saw your family?
Are you free to come and go as you please?
Do you feel safe?
Do you keep your own money?
Does anyone control your phone or communication?
National Human Trafficking Hotline (Anonymous):
1 888-373-7888
Calling the hotline will not track your number, and won’t require a name. It is encouraged to leave information for law enforcement in case they need to ask additional questions. IT IS NOT REQUIRED.
Amazon has partnered with TAT (formerly Truckers Against Trafficking) to help support you. TAT is here to help members of the trucking and bus industries by:
- Educating
- Equipping
- Empowering
- Mobilizing
Calling the hotline will not track your number, and won’t require a name. It is encouraged to leave information for law enforcement in case they need to ask additional questions. IT IS NOT REQUIRED.
Partnership and programs:
To date: 1.9 million+ industry professionals are TAT Trained.
- The National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) reports that during a five-year span, over 41% of the cases truckers reported to them involved victims that were minors.
- TAT is building coalitions between general managers of truck stops/travel plazas and the enforcement that investigate trafficking cases on their lots (FBI, AG’s office, DHS, local PD, US Attorney etc.), in order to close loopholes to traffickers who exploit industry businesses for criminal gain and to mobilize a local response. To date, TAT has held 82 coalition builds in 42 states and three provinces.
- TAT was awarded the Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons in 2019 and the Suzanne McDaniel Memorial Award for Public Awareness as part of the Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus Awards in 2015.
- TAT was also chosen as one of the 100 Best Practices to fight human trafficking by the United Nations (GIFT).
- TAT won the Norma Hotaling Award for Demand Reduction, the Award of Distinction from the OK Human Trafficking Task Force, the Linking Arms Award from In Our Backyard, the Motor Transport Association of CT honored TAT with their Good Buddy Award, the American Trucking Associations awarded TAT with their Mike Russell Trucking Image Award, and most recently, TAT was co-winner of the Truck Safety Partner Award from the Michigan Trucking Association, and the recipient of the 2018 Humanitarianism Appreciation Award from Dow Chemical, presented by Dow Road Logistics.
Success story: James
James called the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) one evening after being approached by a teenage girl who was going door to door at a truck stop. The girl told James that she was trying to make money to travel back home, and asked if there was anything she could do for him. James had recently learned about human trafficking from a Truckers Against Trafficking video he had watched and believed the girl was a potential victim.
After leaving his truck door, James saw the girl knock on a few more trucks before walking across the street, where she got into a parked car with a waiting driver. James called the NHTH and provided a description of the girl, information about his interaction with her and as much information as he had about the vehicle. The NHTH immediately reported the situation to law enforcement and an investigation was opened.
Before TAT
Before TAT, only sporadic tips were being reported by the trucking industry. Since the inception of TAT, truckers have made thousands of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline and local law enforcement and countless victims have been identified.
Select each tab below to learn more about TAT and the Hotline’s programs, interventions, and successes thanks to truckers and transportation specialists like you.
TAT CONTINUES TO GROW
HEAR FROM THE HOTLINE
TAT CONTINUES TO GROW
Targeted Systems Change designed to Discover and Disrupt Human Trafficking Networks
TAT is raising up a mobile army of transportation professionals to assist law enforcement in the recognition and reporting of human trafficking, in order to aid in the recovery of victims and the arrest of their perpetrators.
HEAR FROM THE HOTLINE
Nicole Molar (Former Director, National Human Trafficking Hotline)
“Truckers are now one of the most motivated and well-organized industry groups working on this issue and their efforts have led to countless arrests and recoveries of victims across the country. TAT has been instrumental in creating a community of activists who are speaking out against human trafficking and directly impacting the lives of victims.
TAT is a leader in the fight against human trafficking and we regularly cite their work as an example for other industries to follow. I have no doubt that their work has and will continue to transform our ability to fight human trafficking and we are proud to partner with them in their efforts to eliminate human traffickings.”
Ready to get started? Find the app
The TAT app can be downloaded from the Google Play or Apple Store. The TAT app continues to be updated and provides the best numbers to report human trafficking based on your location and easy reporting options, access to sex and labor trafficking red flag indicators tailored to niche sectors of transportation, information on service providers by state, and more information on human trafficking.
Search "TAT" in the Google Play or Apple Store
You should see the image below when searching for TAT.
Use the App the report, educate, and connect
You can easily report suspected trafficking, find resources, obtain certifications for you and your drivers, and connect with the TAT team to keep everyone vigilant in the fight against human trafficking.
Downloadable resource
Download and share
Whether you’re a Transportation Associate at Amazon, or a 3P carrier with your own drivers, this matters. Download the TAT poster below, and hang in your spaces. This has English, Spanish, and French-Canadian.
- TAT