Human Trafficking Awareness Month Proclaimed

The Cullman County Commission at the start of their regularly scheduled meeting at 10 am Tuesday took time to make a rare public proclamation in support of Human Trafficking Awareness.

 

County Clerk Charlotte Slatton read the proclamation she crafted with Chairman Walker and Commissioner Watson’s guidance to those in attendance. It read:

 

HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS MONTH

 

WHEREAS, human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery and is a crime against humanity that violates the most basic human rights; and

 

WHEREAS, human trafficking occurs when an adult or child is recruited, harbored, obtained, or exported through force, fraud or coercion for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labor, involuntary servitude, debt bondage and other methods of slavery; and

 

WHEREAS, nationally, the criminal enterprise of human trafficking is second only to the illegal drug trade, in terms of the speed of its growth and being among the most lucrative; traffickers typically use multiple means to control their victims including: beatings, rape, isolation, drug or alcohol dependency, document withholding, and psychological and emotional abuse; and

 

WHEREAS, human trafficking is an industry that generates about 32 billion dollars in the U.S. each year, from girls and boys in the commercial sex trade who are as young as 11 years old; and

 

WHEREAS, since 2010 when laws were enacted making trafficking a crime in the State of Alabama it has become a rapidly growing problem in our backyards with the main targets being women and children with over 100 trafficking reports filed annually in our State; and

 

WHEREAS, our local community unites to combat this modern day slavery and brings together non-profits, government, and private sector businesses in prevention, prosecution, education and awareness efforts to restore freedom and dignity to survivors.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, THE CULLMAN COUNTY COMMISSION does hereby proclaim the month of January 2016 as “Human Trafficking Awareness Month” DONE AND PROCLAIMED this 12th day of January 2016

 

Signed: Kenneth Walker, Chairman and Kerry Watson, Commissioner

 

The proclamation was then presented to the Kathy Wilson, chair of the Cullman County Human Trafficking Task Force, and the Honorable District Judge Kim Chaney.

 

For more information, please see: cullmantoday.com/2016/01/13/human-trafficking-awareness-m...

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