“I can’t go stand on the side of the road in the name of money,” she says, her voice rising. “I have a future. Standing there, selling myself, would destroy my life. My dignity. Everything.” –Mary, a Kidnapped Victim rescued by UNICEF
CDLLife connected with Trucker’s Against Trafficking’s Susan Dold to discuss the signs of Human Trafficking. Drivers’ role as Guardians of the Highway is seldom more evident than in the part that they play in combatting modern slavery.
The majority of human trafficking victims are runaways. Young girls that have had hard lives they are trying to escape. They are easy prey for traffickers who make them feel safe and provided for. These girls’ broken homes and troubled backgrounds mean that often no one is looking for them, according to Sjt. Gardner of the Iowa State Troopers.
But often these girls have no one to turn to when they face abuse. Truckers can stand in the gap for the parents, the guardians these girls lack, but they need the knowledge to recognize the signs of those in need:
Truckers Against Trafficking has been very successful in their efforts to equip drivers with knowledge: Since their founding, TAT has trained than a million drivers to recognize the signs of human trafficking.
Ms. Dold told CDLLife that most people want to do something important with their lives. They want to aid others and fight for the weak, but they don’t know how to get involved. There are millions of people that need help, today.
And drivers can truly impact culture and save lives. Dold encourages everyone to know the signs, to speak up when they see something, and to fight to end this injustice.
In spite of everything she has been through Mary still has hope, and she want to help others:
“One day I will have my documents, I will have an education, I will have work,” she says with hope. She wants to become a lawyer and serve those who’ve been trafficked like she has. “I want to give justice to the girls that have to use their bodies for work.”
Know the signs. Know what to do to help someone that needs rescuing today. Watch the training video here: