Watson announces new program that trains businesses to identify human trafficking

JACKSON, Miss. — A new program announced Wednesday will help combat human trafficking in Mississippi.

Secretary of State Michael Watson introduced Mississippi Businesses Against Trafficking, or MBAT, as a new training program for businesses. Sectors all over the state will be able to access programs for employees that will teach them the signs to look out for to identify human trafficking.

“If each employee learns about human trafficking, that learns about, ‘what are the signs that I need to look for,' what are the things that can combat this, it's going to make a difference,” Watson said.

Business leaders from the Mississippi Braves, the Dutch Group, and the Mississippi Board of Massage Therapy, along with Linda Hornsby, executive director of the Mississippi Hotel and Lodging Association, are fronting the program to hopefully inspire other businesses.

“The stories they tell are just sobering,” Hornsby said. “It's not what you think it is. It's not just runaways or abductions. It's more real.”

According to the Mississippi Department of Health's most recent statistics, a human trafficking case is reported every other day in the state of Mississippi. Per the U.S. Department of State, at any given time, an estimated 24.9 million people worldwide fall victim to human trafficking.