Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) is a nonprofit organization that trains truck drivers to recognize and report instances of human trafficking.[1] This national organization formed in Oklahoma, United States,[2] in 2009 and teaches truck drivers about the results of human trafficking.[3] TAT is based in Colorado and its executive director is Kendis Paris.[4]
| Abbreviation | TAT |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2009 |
| Type | NGO |
| Purpose | To oppose human trafficking |
| Location | |
Region served | United States |
| Membership | Truck drivers |
Official language | English language |
Executive Director | Kendis Paris |
| Affiliations | Pilot Flying J Love's Truckload Carriers Association |
| Website | truckersagainsttrafficking |
TAT produces anti-trafficking materials which are commonly seen throughout the trucking industry.[5] They have teamed up with law enforcement agencies and trucking companies to provide training on identifying sex trafficking, and some companies require their drivers to go through it.[6] Through their efforts, they have freed hundreds of human trafficking victims.[5] According to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, the majority of truck drivers who report tips learned about them through TAT.[7]
The organization began a partnership with Pilot Flying J in 2011,[8] Love's in 2013,[9] and the Truckload Carriers Association in 2013.[10] In 2012, the Ottawa, Ontario, Canada-based Persons Against the Crime of Trafficking in Humans was inspired by TAT to initiate TruckSTOP, a campaign that teaches truck drivers how to identify human trafficking victims.[11] TAT was promoted in "Killer Truckers", a 2013 television special by Investigation Discovery.[12] Also in 2013, Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto spoke highly of TAT at a forum hosted by Western States Propane.[13] In one successful execution of TAT training, a truck driver called 9-1-1 after suspecting human trafficking in a particular situation, and his phone call precipitated the arrest and subsequent conviction of 31 traffickers, the release of nine people from the sex industry, and the fall of an organized crime ring that had been active in 13 U.S. states.[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Arkansas to stop human trafficking". Hola! Arkansas. September 6, 2013. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ Abbie Alford (April 14, 2011). "The OATH to Expose Modern Day Slavery". KOKI-TV. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ "Truckers: Help Fight Sex-Slavery". Today's Trucking. November 7, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ "1,000 children in Ohio believed to be ensnared in commercial sex industry". Norwalk Reflector. August 26, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ a b "Truckers Take The Wheel In Effort To Halt Sex Trafficking". NPR. July 13, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "TAT_AR_1". online.flipbuilder.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
- ^ Sex Trafficking at Truck Stops
- ^ "Pilot Flying J Supports Truckers Against Trafficking". Convenience Store News. November 7, 2011. Archived from the original on September 7, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ "Love's Travel Stops Partners With Truckers Against Trafficking". dev-xmc.loves.com. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
- ^ Todd Dills (August 27, 2013). "TCA offers online certification course with Truckers Against Trafficking". Overdrive. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ Tyler Davie (February 23, 2012). "Campaign to raise awareness of human trafficking coming to Ontario truck stops this spring". Truck News. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ Todd Dills (August 17, 2013). "'Killer Truckers' TV special on re-air". Overdrive. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ Dylan Woolf Harris (July 18, 2013). "Truckers Against Trafficking: AG enlists road warriors to battle illegal sex trade". Elko Daily Free Press. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
- ^ "OBAC joins awareness campaign to fight human trafficking". Truck News. April 27, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2013.