The Trucking Cares Foundation—the charitable arm of American Trucking Associations—awarded U.S. Senator Susan Collins from Maine with the 2020 Hero Award this week for her efforts in Congress to combat the crime of human trafficking. Senator Collins received the award on Wednesday in the U.S. Capitol Building following a Congressional briefing on human trafficking, “Advancing Legislative Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking,” presented by representatives from America’s trucking industry.
As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins worked to secure $85 million for trafficking victims in the fiscal year 2020 funding bill. Senator Collins has also supported several measures to combat sex trafficking and child abuse, including the Runaway and Homeless Youth Trafficking Prevention Act, which would update the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act programs to include trafficking-specific training and support.
In addition, Senator Collins was a lead sponsor of several bills that have been signed into law, including the Stop, Observe, Ask and Respond (SOAR) to Health and Wellness Act, the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, and the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
Senator Collins has also been an outspoken leader in raising awareness about human trafficking, having testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the issue and its impact on the lives of Mainers.
“I’m truly honored by this recognition, and I’m proud to join the American Trucking Associations in the vital work to end human trafficking,” said Senator Collins. “Truckers against trafficking is a mobile army of nearly 850,000 transportation professionals who aid in the recovery of victims and provide information leading to the arrest of criminals. These dedicated truckers have made nearly 2,500 reports to the national hotline, resulting in the identification of more than 1,200 victims.”
“Senator Collins is well known in the halls of Congress for her tenacity when taking on any issue that impacts the people of Maine,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “Her support behind this cause is invaluable, and her efforts will save countless lives being destroyed by this unspeakable crime.”
Human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery that involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain labor or a commercial sex act; and the commercial sexual exploitation of children under any circumstances. As the eyes and ears of our nation’s highways, America’s trucking industry plays a vital role in closing the loopholes in our nation’s transportation system that human traffickers exploit for their illicit enterprises.
While the exact scope of human trafficking is difficult to ascertain, the federal government estimates that 14,500 to 17,500 persons are trafficked into the United States every year. Reports of human trafficking inside the United States include 5,147 reports made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2018, and over 10,000 reports related to child sex trafficking made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2017.
The Maine Sex Trafficking & Exploitation Network estimates between 200 and 300 cases of human trafficking in Maine each year.
ATA was one of 15 stakeholders represented on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking, which presented its final report to Secretary Chao in July 2019. In recent years, the trucking industry has made nearly 2,500 calls to the national hotline to report possible instances of trafficking. Those calls generated almost 700 active cases in which more than 1,240 victims were identified and rescued. |
