When it comes to putting a face to human trafficking victims, there’s often a misconception that this hideous crime only affects young women. While they certainly make up a large percentage of the victims, the truth is that a trafficking victim can look like anyone – and the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign seeks to educate everyone on the issue of identifying trafficking in all of its forms. This unified voice of the DHS works with government, law enforcement, private organizations, and non-profits to rescue victims and bring the perpetrators of human trafficking.

 

The Blue Campaign seeks to raise awareness when it comes to the issue; the amount of the United States population that remains in the dark when it comes to human trafficking is baffling. The partnerships the campaign engages in are designed to educate the public on how to identify trafficking and take action by reporting these occurrences. Our law enforcement agencies benefit from the existence of The Blue Campaign thanks to their training surrounding trafficking detection and apprehending perpetrators. The crucial trait of the DHS is that they put their focus on the victims, ensuring that they are cared for with the same priority that the traffickers are investigated and prosecuted. The importance of survivors feeling safe is not overlooked by The Blue Campaign; they acknowledge that survivors can often be re-traumatized by investigations, and they seek to ensure that survivors feel stable and secure throughout the process.

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection also works with the DHS to screen for human trafficking at our borders, and Immigration Services provides immigration relief to survivors that may not be citizens. As a whole, these organizations all work in harmony to combat human trafficking on multiple levels; The Blue Campaign is essentially the U.S. government’s hub for the fight against this devastating industry. They provide tools for absolutely anyone to become educated on this crucial issue so that they can get closer to achieving their mission – to end human trafficking. If you’re in the dark on the topic of trafficking and the industry behind it, their website is the best place to start. The National Human Trafficking Hotline can be reached at 1-888-373-7888 or by texting BeFree (233733), and suspected human trafficking can be reported by calling 1-866-347-2423.