This January, I am honored to join Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr, the state of California, and the nation in observing National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. As stated in the Governor’s official proclamation, “we take this time to renew our commitment to ending the scourges of slavery and human trafficking, punishing those who engage in these illegal activities and aiding those who are being victimized.”
We must work together to save lives, provide healing, and administer justice for all victims.
CalVCP stands with the Governor in recognizing human trafficking as one of the greatest crimes against humanity of our time, and we rededicate ourselves to preventing and stopping a modern-day slavery that strips victims of the freedom and basic human rights guaranteed to all people by the U.S. Constitution.
As the world’s third largest criminal industry, human trafficking affects communities small and large, at home and abroad. Each year, millions of men, women, and children are bought and sold for the purposes of labor or commercial sexual exploitation. Defrauded, frightened or forced into compliance by their perpetrators, these victims often suffer in silence. You might find them camouflaged in everyday restaurants and retail establishments; hidden in fields and factories; concealed in motels and massage parlors.
Efforts to address this callous crime are often hindered by the hidden nature of trafficking activities. Thus, we must work together to save lives, provide healing, and administer justice for all victims.
During Human Trafficking Awareness Month, we stand united with trafficking survivors, celebrate our State’s efforts in combatting human exploitation, and commit to the continued fight to eradicate this despicable violation of human rights.
