North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp will join the NATSO Foundation, Truckers Against Trafficking, the North Dakota Motor Carriers Association and ConocoPhillips Aug. 14 as they host a coalition meeting in Bismarck, N.D., aimed at coordinating ways to fight human trafficking within the state.
All truckstops and travel plazas, regardless of NATSO membership, are invited to attend this private coalition meeting. The event is scheduled to be held Aug. 14 at the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is closed to press.
Regional coalition meetings provide an opportunity to educate members of the business community, transportation and law enforcement about human trafficking as well as serve as an open forum to discuss human trafficking trends in regional areas and to explore collective ways to combat this crime.
Fighting human trafficking is a bipartisan, bicameral effort on Capitol Hill, with both Chambers of Congress working to pass legislation aimed at strengthening public safety and cracking down on human trafficking.
Earlier this month, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation conducted a hearing on how transportation and supply chain stakeholders are combatting human trafficking. NATSO and The NATSO Foundation underscored the truckstop and travel plaza industry’s commitment to combatting human trafficking in a statement submitted to the Committee with respect to its hearing.
For nearly six years, the NATSO Foundation has been helping members of the truckstop and travel plaza community engage in the fight against human trafficking. NATSO has co-sponsored these regional coalition meetings with Truckers Against Trafficking, state trucking associations and law enforcement since 2013.
The NATSO Foundation also works closely with the Departments of Homeland Security and Transportation, Polaris Project, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and other local organizations to gain insight into best practices on how to educate our members. Our goal is to provide our members with the tools they need to train their staff so that those individuals are equipped to help if they encounter a victim of this horrible crime.
NATSO members are encouraged to train their employees in how to recognize and respond to suspected incidents of human trafficking using the NATSO Foundation’s online course, "The Role of Truckstops in Combating Human Trafficking." The course is free to anyone in the truckstop and travel plaza community. Non-NATSO members should call Kimberly Roberts at 703-739-8573 or kroberts@natso.com to establish an account.
Truckstops seeking additional information regarding the Aug.14 coalition meeting or who would like to learn about future coalition meeting locations should contact Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman at 703-739-8578 or twlazlowski@natso.com.
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