* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
We must realize that to successfully combat human trafficking, all members of society must do our part and also work collaboratively with each other
In the last decade, the criminal act of “human trafficking,” or what is now more accurately coined as “modern-day slavery,” has started to surface. Many people are shocked and wonder when this horrible crime started, and how it can exist today? A deeper look shows that modern-day slavery has always existed, but that we as a society are only now becoming aware of its horrific nature – that what we had previously determined as merely an unsavory decision to engage in prostitution, or a bad choice in employment, is in reality severe exploitation.
Even if never stated aloud, society as a whole previously appeared to have rendered judgment many times against victims, declaring “How did she get herself into that situation?” or “He should have checked that job out first.” And after we ask that question, we end this line of inquiry and go about our day. But what if we chose to ask further questions – to look beyond the surface to see what is truly going on?
Often we deliberately choose to ignore the crime itself, and those in bondage even if it’s happening right in front of us, because as Americans it’s polite to mind our own business, or simply because it will inconvenience us when we already don’t have time. Perhaps, we have the desire to do something, but aren’t sure where to start or how to help. And traffickers depend on the public to respond in such a fashion in order for them to facilitate their business activity – of selling people – without detection. But what would happen if people decided to “not mind our own business?”
In order to first recognize modern-day slavery, we need to acknowledge that it happens – right here in the United States. As philosopher Marshal McLuhan noted, “I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t believed it.” But once we’ve accepted the reality of human trafficking, the next question is, “BUT what can I do?” and the feeling of being paralyzed into inaction by the overwhelming nature of a problem is all too familiar.
Today anti-human trafficking organization A21 announced a multi-platform media campaign, with support from the U.S. Department of Transportation, designed to heighten public awareness in transportation hubs, networks and airports right across the United States. Entitled Can You See Me?, the series of confronting videos, billboards, posters and educational materials depicts scenarios of the four most common forms of modern-day slavery, and empowers members of the public who suspect human trafficking activity to call the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
The bold videos and posters will appear in trains and railway stations across the Amtrak rail network nationwide, including Los Angeles Union Station, New York Penn Station, and Washington Union Station, and throughout many of the country’s biggest airports including JFK, Chicago O’Hare, Newark, LaGuardia, and others, in prominent public spaces and across all major social networks. The campaign anticipates reaching over 30 million commuters via the Amtrak network alone in 2018.
The Can You See Me? campaign seeks to highlight seemingly innocuous situations of modern-day slavery, and is designed to empower members of the public to do our part in this fight. In so doing, the campaign asks the public to set aside any judgment and to peel back the surface of appearance to determine what is truly going on.
Everyone has an innate sense of suspicion. We all know when we’ve observed something that doesn’t seem right, but often it doesn’t feel worthy of a call to the police. This campaign exists to fill that space between people’s suspicion and a police investigation. Gathering small pieces of information that together can corroborate a police investigation makes all the difference in the successful prosecution of a perpetrator and bringing justice to the survivor.
We must realize that to successfully combat human trafficking, all members of society must do our part and also work collaboratively with each other. Law enforcement conducts criminal investigations, prosecutors bring criminal charges, victims provide testimony, transportation hubs make awareness a priority, NGOs provide victim services, and hotlines provide resources so that both victims and the general public can call to report suspicious activity. The general public assists by being the eyes and ears and reporting suspicious behavior.
In no way can four scenarios capture all the exploitation that is occurring in America. Each survivor’s story is unique just as every person is unique. But we hope that these four vignettes show a small snap shot of what is going on below the surface – if we dare to choose to look. As William Wilberforce aptly stated, “You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”
Mi Yung Park is A21's Government Relations Director. She has over a decade of experience working as a federal criminal prosecutor, including as a Senior Trial Attorney at the Child Exploitation & Obscenity Section in the Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of Justice
