Mayor declares January as ‘Human Trafficking Awareness Month’

MICHELLE MANN

Enterprise police officers and city Councilman Scotty Johnson gathered at City Hall Wednesday with Enterprise Mayor William Cooper to declare January “Human Trafficking Awareness Month” in Enterprise.

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and every year since 2010, the president has dedicated the month to raising awareness and educating the public.

Cooper said that the U.S. Department of State estimates that anywhere from 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year.

“Most victims of human trafficking are women or children who have been marginalized and isolated from society,” he said. “The difficulty in grasping the full scope of this problem can be further compounded because people often turn a blind eye to it.

“The first step in eliminating human trafficking is to educate others to ensure that all our residents are aware of this problem and how to spot it,” he said. “We must work together as a community so that human traffickers are punished and to protect and assist their victims.

“We ask all residents of this community to join us in raising the visibility of this crime whose victims are all too often invisible,” Cooper said. “Together, we can become more informed about this pressing issue and work to combat its injustices.

“The City of Enterprise, Alabama is committed to ensuring that our community remains on the front lines in combating this deplorable crime,” Cooper said. “The only thing we say is, if you don't want to get in trouble, don't come this way.”