For Immediate Release
DHS Press Office
Contact: 202-282-8010
WASHINGTON— The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced two new partnerships between the DHS Blue Campaign—the unified voice for DHS’ efforts to combat human trafficking—and the City of Phoenix and the Arizona Human Trafficking Council of the Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families.
Through these alliances, the City of Phoenix and the Arizona Human Trafficking Council will provide the Blue Campaign’s training and awareness materials throughout Arizona to raise human trafficking awareness ahead of the Super Bowl XLIX in February 2015. These materials will help individuals and communities identify and recognize indicators of human trafficking, as well as information on how to report suspected cases of human trafficking. High-profile special events, such as the Super Bowl, draw large crowds and have become lucrative opportunities for criminals engaged in human trafficking.
“The DHS Blue Campaign is pleased to have the City of Phoenix and the Arizona Human Trafficking Council of the Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families join our broadening network of partners,” said Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. “These partnerships will better enable us to identify and rescue victims of this heinous crime and bring the perpetrators to justice. We will continue to work with state and local authorities and private sector partners across the country to help save lives, protect innocent individuals, and prevent this form of modern day slavery.”
Last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations hosted a roundtable discussion in Phoenix, bringing together representatives from local law enforcement, anti-human trafficking non-governmental organizations, state and local authorities and the DHS Blue Campaign, to further collaborate on human trafficking issues ahead of Super Bowl XLIX.
The DHS Blue Campaign works in collaboration with law enforcement, government, non-governmental and private organizations, to protect the basic right of freedom and to bring those who exploit human lives to justice.
In June 2013, the DHS Blue Campaign unveiled new public awareness materials including a Public Service Announcement, posters and handouts to educate on victim identification and crime reporting, the case investigation process, and available resources for victim support.
DHS works closely with federal and private sector partners to distribute these awareness materials across the nation. In November 2013, DHS announced a partnership with Western Union to provide multilingual training and awareness materials as well as training to recognize indicators of human trafficking to agent locations across the country. In Oct. 2012, DHS announced a partnership with the Department of Transportation and Amtrak to train more than 8,000 Amtrak frontline employees and Amtrak police officers to identify and recognize indicators of human trafficking, as well as how to report suspected cases of human trafficking.
For more information, visit www.dhs.gov/bluecampaign.
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