WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Peter Meijer (R-MI) this week introduced H.R. 2795, the DHS Blue Campaign Enhancement Act, to increase awareness of human trafficking indicators and prevent cases from being overlooked by law enforcement and the public. The bill is cosponsored by Representative Lou Correa (D-CA).
“I am proud to introduce the DHS Blue Campaign Enhancement Act to strengthen law enforcement and the public’s ability to recognize and respond to signs of human trafficking,” said Rep. Meijer. “These heinous crimes are vastly underreported; improving our ability to spot the signs will save lives. We must utilize every available tool to put an end to human trafficking. This bill is a critical step towards that goal.”
“Law enforcement officers have a tough job and need all the training and support they can get to keep our communities safe,” said Rep. Correa. “The DHS Blue Campaign ensures local officers and the public they serve have the training needed to identify trafficking victims and combat this horrendous crime. I am proud to support this legislation and help end human trafficking.”
The Blue Campaign is a national public awareness campaign designed to educate the public, law enforcement and other industry partners to recognize the indicators of human trafficking, and how to appropriately respond to possible cases.
While the Blue Campaign works closely with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) components and other federal partners to combat human trafficking, it is often state and local law enforcement officers who are encountering victims and their traffickers firsthand. Individuals employed in industries outside law enforcement, from medical professionals to airline employees, are also more likely to encounter victims and need to know how to identify and respond to them. Increasing widespread public awareness is critical to expanding these efforts.
H.R. 2795, the DHS Blue Campaign Enhancement Act, would:
- Require the Director of the Blue Campaign to develop web-based interactive training videos and provide online training opportunities for federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement officers.
- Establish a Blue Campaign Advisory Board within DHS to consult regularly with the Director on the development of effective awareness tools for distribution to industry partners that will help them identify and prevent instances of human trafficking.
- The advisory board would include representatives from each of the following DHS components:
- Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)
- U.S. Secret Service (USSS)
- The advisory board would include representatives from each of the following DHS components:
“I applaud Congressman Meijer for introducing this important piece of legislation at a time when funding for critical training to recognize and combat human trafficking continues to decline. Improving access to online resources for local law enforcement is crucial to expanding our efforts to protect vulnerable individuals and prevent these terrible crimes.” – Chief Robert Stevenson (Ret.), Executive Director, Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police
“Human trafficking is a critical issue across the United States and locally in Kent County,
Michigan. We support the DHS Blue Campaign Enhancement Act as an important opportunity to strengthen trauma informed and culturally and linguistically appropriate training within the criminal justice system. The last year of economic upheaval creates conditions for trafficking to increase and the Enhancement Act renews our collective commitment to both prevent and identify human trafficking in our community. Human trafficking is a complex problem including forced or bonded labor, debt bondage, involuntary domestic servitude, and commercial sexual exploitation of children. We are hopeful the Enhancement Act is a step toward needed resources and reforms to increase the cross-sector insight and collaboration that is necessary to equip divisions of the criminal justice system to protect our neighbors with vulnerabilities and to prevent human trafficking.” - Rachel VerWys, Executive Director, SEE, and Co-Chair, Kent County Area Human Trafficking Coalition
“By expanding training opportunities to include an online component, will ensure that local officials are able to identify and combat human trafficking. As a survivor and Social Worker providing services to victims of human trafficking, increasing law enforcement’s awareness on human trafficking is essential. Partnerships between the community and law enforcement is the only way to end human trafficking. This legislation takes one critical step towards this mission.” - Katie Papke, LMSW, CAADC, CCTP, Life Support Counseling and Coaching, LLC
Original source can be found here.
