Combat Human Trafficking

The NATSO Foundation is committed to working with our members and other transportation sectors to stop all forms of human trafficking in the United States.

What is Human Trafficking?
Often described as modern-day slavery, human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.

Approximately 18,000 persons are trafficked into the United States from over 50 countries every year, according to the Department of Homeland Security. More than 300,000 children are trafficked within the United States annually. They come from all walks of life and all ethnic backgrounds.

What NATSO Is Currently Doing
The truckstop and travel plaza industry is taking a united stand along with other transportation providers to stop the flow of human trafficking using America’s transportation system.

As an industry that caters to millions of travelers every year, truckstops and travel plazas and their employees are in a key position to help identify and stop human trafficking along America’s highway system.

NATSO works closely with the Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security, Truckers Against Trafficking, Polaris Project, 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. 

The foundation is completely autonomous and relies solely on donations. Please consider a donation to the NATSO Foundation. Donate to the NATSO Foundation here.

The Pledge:

NATSO in 2013 marked one of the first industry trade organizations to sign the Transportation Leader’s Against Human Trafficking pledge. NATSO committed to demonstate leadership by taking a stand against human trafficking; educate industry employees to spot and report suspected incidents of human trafficking; and to raise awareness among the traveling public.  

Online Training: 

The NATSO Foundation launched an online learning tool designed to help teach truckstop owners, operators and employees how to respond if they suspect human trafficking. The course is available free of charge to any member of the truckstop and travel plaza community at https://www.natso.com/onlinelearning.

Combating Human Trafficking Toolkit

The NATSO Foundation released a “Combating Human Trafficking” toolkit to offer truckstops and travel centers a roadmap for implementing an anti-human trafficking education and awareness program at their individual locations.

In releasing the toolkit, the NATSO Foundation also introduced a 50-state chart of human trafficking awareness poster laws. The chart is designed to help members understand how to comply with state laws on human trafficking awareness. This is an important tool for truckstops and travel centers as many state laws reference businesses that provide services and amenities which many truckstop and travel plazas offer, such as overnight truck parking, food, fuel and lodging.

To download the toolkit and the 50-state chart, click here.

Collateral:

Through its alliance with the Department of Homeland Security's Blue Campaign, the NATSO Foundation provides the DHS Blue Campaign’s training and awareness materials – including posters, handouts and other materials — to the nation’s truckstops and travel plazas. 

HT 101 Fact Sheet - English and Spanish - NATSO.pdf

HT Poster Option 1 - 11x17 English and Spanish - NATSO.pdf

HT Poster Option 2 - 11x17 English and Spanish - NATSO.pdf

HT Poster Option 3- 11x17 English and Spanish - NATSO.pdf

HT Poster Option 4 - 11x17 English and Spanish - NATSO.pdf

HT Poster Option 5 - 11x17 English and Spanish - NATSO.pdf

HT Poster Option 6 - 11x17 English and Spanish - NATSO.pdf

Partnerships:

Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign

The NATSO Foundation has part­nered with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Blue Campaign to combat human traf­ficking, as part of the NATSO Foundation’s multi-pronged anti-human trafficking initia­tive to fight human trafficking along America’s Interstate Highway System. Through this alliance with the DHS Blue Campaign, the NATSO Founda­tion provides the DHS Blue Cam­paign’s training and awareness materi­als—including posters, handouts and other materials to the nation’s truck­stops and travel plazas, which will en­hance the NATSO Foundation’s edu­cational resources.

U.S. Department of Transportation’s Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking

The NATSO Foundation served on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking’s Subcommittee on Education and Awareness. The Subcommittee issued a report titled, “The Department ofTransportation Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking Final Report: CombatingHuman Trafficking in the Transportation Sector,” that offers a systematic assessment of data, strategies, policies, protocols, training and awareness needs regarding the intersection of the transportation sector and human trafficking. Recommendations and best practices were outlined for the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Congress, states, private industry, NGOs and local transportation authorities with regard to funding, partnerships, policies and protocols, training and awareness, data and information-sharing and survivor support.

Truckers Against Trafficking

The NATSO Foundation co-sponsors regional meetings with Truckers Against Trafficking that bring members of the business community together with law enforcement to discuss regional human trafficking trends and collective ways to combat this crime. Approximately a half dozen of these events take place each year in various parts of the United States. For information on upcoming meetings or to participate in an event in your region, contact Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman at 703-739-8578.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has developed a High-Risk Child Poster Listserv designed to increase the visibility of missing children at high risk for sex trafficking. Businesses uniquely positioned to help identify missing children considered to be at high risk for sex trafficking can register to receive electronic posters containing their images and other vital information. Truckstop owners and operators can then share these posters with staff or hang them in a location visible to customers. To register to receive the NCMEC posters, fill out the registration form by clicking here.

Additional Resources:

Department of Homeland Security: https://www.dhs.gov/topic/human-trafficking

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: http://www.missingkids.com/CSTT 

Polaris Project: http://www.polarisproject.org/

Truckers Against Trafficking: http://www.truckersagainsttrafficking.org