Washington State is unrolling an innovative poster campaign to combat trafficking. Instead of cracking down on prostitution and labor exploitation, the posters will educate victims about their rights. The campaign is unprecedented in the region, and is an inspiring example of the monumental change that can occur when committed citizens team up with good legislation. Washington is proactively leading the fight against trafficking, and other states—I’m looking at you, Ohio—should feel morally obligated to follow their example.
The posters were designed by the grassroots coalition, Seattle Against Slavery, with help from police, social service providers and Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle). They are offered in seven languages, including Vietnamese and Tagalog, and will be plastered around areas prone to trafficking, such as bus stops and rest stations. The text on the posters reads: “"No one should force you into work or prostitution," and lists the number for the state trafficking hotline.
Washington’s proximity to both seaside ports and the Canadian border, in addition to its dependency on agricultural workers, has made the state a hotbed for trafficking. Just this month, the FBI recovered two dozen girls in the Seattle area who had been forced into prostitution. But Washington is unique in that it hasn’t dragged its feet in combating this dire national issue.
Washington was the first state to make trafficking a state felony, and the government has created a state task force to address the issue. The state has also passed numerous pieces of legislation to protect victims, such as the Mail Order Bride Act, which allows women considering marriage via broker agencies to do background checks on Washington residents. Recently, Seattle launched a two-year program that will provide housing and social services each year for twenty children victimized by prostitution.
Although Washington’s work is far from done, the poster campaign is an excellent step towards empowering victims of trafficking, and informing them of their social and legal resources. Most importantly—Washington is making sure that these resources are available in the first place. Encourage your state to follow in Washington’s footsteps, and help eradicate trafficking in every community, once and for all.
Photo: Shawna Nelles
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Dana Liebelson Dana Liebelson is a writer from Washington, DC, and works for an international journalism non-profit organization.
Source: End Human Trafficking
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