Trussville declared Trafficking Free Zone during council meeting

From The Tribune staff reports

TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville City Council declared Trussville a Trafficking Free Zone during the council meeting on Thursday, Dec. 22.

According to the proclamation read by Councilmember Jaime Anderson, Trussville seeks to enhance public welfare, protect public safety, and promote human flourishing for all residents and visitors by declaring that freedom from human trafficking is a fundamental human right.

“Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which victims are forced to work in various forms of exploitation, including debt bondage, forced marriage, labor, and commercial sexual exploitation of adults and minors, that are induced through force, fraud, or coercion,” the proclamation states. “The City is committed to ensuring that our community is prepared to recognize signs of human trafficking.”

The proclamation states that the risks of human trafficking have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Economic turmoil, financial hardship, isolation, and the shuttering of schools and other programs have resulted in increased opportunities for human trafficking, particularly online, and resulted in fewer places for victims to turn to report exploitation and fewer chances for the abuse to be recognized,” the proclamation states. “An increase in tourists seeking entertainment, including commercial sex, increases the potential risk for exploitation and human trafficking.”

Due to its isolating nature, many individuals remain unaware that trafficking is a threat to their neighborhoods, families, and children.

“The first step in eliminating human trafficking in our community is to educate others,” the proclamation states. “We must work diligently to ensure that all front-line industries, educators, and first responders are aware of this issue and how to spot it.”

The city of Trussville will continue its efforts to make the city a Trafficking Free Zone in 2023 by combating the human trafficking of its children and vulnerable adults and mitigating the associated public safety, economic and health risks to its community in collaboration with the Child Trafficking Solutions Project and other anti-human trafficking organizations by,

• Combating labor trafficking, servitude, and commercial sexual exploitation through comprehensive education of its staff,
• The implementation and enforcement of a zero-tolerance policy against any act which may support human trafficking,
• Supporting collaborative community-based solutions across a continuum that includes prevention, recovery of victims, and prosecution of perpetrators,

And ask all citizens of Trussville to join them in promoting a shift away from the culture of tolerance toward human trafficking.