January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month. This Presidential declaration dedicates the month to raise awareness about human trafficking and to educate the public about how to identify and prevent this crime.
National Human Trafficking Awareness Day is observed every year on January 11. By recognizing this day and taking collective action, we contribute to the fight against human trafficking, protect vulnerable individuals, and strive to create a world where every person can live free from exploitation and abuse.
In 2007, the U.S. Senate designated January 11 as the National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness. Human Trafficking is the act of compelling a person by force, fraud, or coercion to provide labor or a commercial sex act. Coercion can be subtle, and traffickers use manipulation and threats of physical, psychological, or emotional harm.
Traffickers target those who are most vulnerable to exploitation: for example, children, runaways, the mentally or physically disabled, or those suffering from poverty, substance abuse disorder, neglect, or abuse. Victims are lured, manipulated, and controlled by the trafficker via false promises concerning relationships, employment, lifestyle, or drug availability. They are treated as commodities.
South Carolina ETV and Public Radio (SCETV) and S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson, chair of the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force (SCHTTF), formed a partnership to develop educational resources around the topic of human trafficking. The educational materials were produced as part of the first statewide human trafficking prevention education initiative, TraffickProofSC. This prevention education curriculum highlights the importance of educating young people and their families on the realities of human trafficking.
SCETV and the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force collaborated to produce a series of free, age-appropriate, educational videos and curricula catered to middle and high students. The curricula are facilitated by trained educators and prevention education coordinators from local Child Advocacy Centers. In keeping with SCETV’s mission to provide educational experiences and strengthen communities, this important project seeks to empower and educate youth in the awareness and prevention of human trafficking.
This educational initiative addresses:
- Human Trafficking Overview: What is Human Trafficking?
- Staying Safe Online
- Labor Trafficking
- Sex Trafficking
Click here to view a brief overview video.
For more information on how educators may sign up to receive access to this training, tools and resource materials, go to TraffickProofSC.Org.
“The crime of human trafficking continues to impact young people across our state. The State Task Force recognized the critical need to launch a statewide prevention education initiative. Our goal is to prevent the crime from happening while continuing to prosecute those who have committed the crime.” - S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson
