Task force seeks to raise human trafficking awareness

Today is World Day Against Human Trafficking in Persons, which aims to raise awareness about human trafficking and protecting victims. 

“I think it's really good that we can actually have a day that kinda draws attention to this issue of trafficking,” said Donita Stanage with the Human Trafficking Task Force of Garland County.

The task force is transitioning to using more digital tactics to raise awareness about the internationally observed day and the organization by being more active on social media platforms, such as Facebook.

The task force was started in 2012 to raise community awareness about human trafficking, said Cindy Hamilton, chair of the task force, and they are working towards more of an online presence “because we feel like that area has certainly gained in the trafficking of people.”

She said they “want to be more of a presence and have more of a finger on the pulse, so to speak, of what's going on with social media.”

Stanage and Helen Bridges Lewis have taken over the direction of the task force's Facebook page, sharing important information with the community, Hamilton said.

“Now we just want to push out more information, just in a digital way because we feel like that is something that society is more prone to look into or do their research (on), or just find information through social media,” she said.

“Certainly, we want correct information and not sensationalization or glamorization of any of this topic whatsoever. We try to be very fact-oriented and use websites that we've vetted and information that we feel is credible to push out into the community, again, just to educate and equip.”

When it comes to recognizing World Day Against Human Trafficking in Persons, the task force recommended taking the day and addressing the problem, Stanage said.

“It's easy to not address the problem,” she said. “I think we need to address it. This is a horrific evil. It's happening in every town, every community across the world. As a teacher, I want to educate and equip people, but as a human, I just hate to know that these people are suffering.

“And so, an easy way to do that is just to go to our Facebook page, like it, share it, comment on it. … Go get some information. Find out what you can do. Know the warning signs, know what human trafficking looks like. If something doesn't feel right, you know, if you see something, say something.”

One way to learn more information about human trafficking is watching “Sound of Freedom,” a new movie based on the real story of a former U.S. Department for Homeland Security agent, who conducts operations to save children from human trafficking, Hamilton and Stanage recommended.

“It's not a movie that you're gonna go to and enjoy so much,” Stanage said. “It's heavy, it's hard, but it's necessary. It's something that we have to realize is really out there. And, you know, we've ignored it for too long. And we've not accepted that it's really there. And so, I would definitely recommend (the movie), not for children, of course, probably late teens and up, and even then, some people may really have a hard time sitting through it. But, it is important, and it's well done, is tastefully done, but at the same time, because it's such a horrific subject matter, it's not easy.”

“I think it's important for every adult to see because this is real suffering and it's a reality,” Lewis said. “And I think that too often we ignore it or we don't want to face it or we don't want to know that it's real because these are real children. For me, as a mother, it was just hard to see. It was heavy. I think that it needs to be seen, though. It needs to be talked about.”

Although the movie is a difficult watch, according to Stanage, it has brought some much-appreciated awareness to the issue, she said.

“We're realizing it's a worldwide issue, and, of course, the movie has brought about a lot of attention, which we want because we want people to realize it is an issue, and that it's not just something to sweep under the rug, that we've got to address this and be aware,” Stanage said.