People are not for sale
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds will be signing a proclamation to recognize January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month on January 15, 2025 at 11:30 a.m. in the Iowa State Capitol Rotunda.
A form of modern-day slavery, Human Trafficking occurs when a person uses force, fraud or coercion to control another person for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or soliciting labor or services against his or her will.
Every person deserves freedom and dignity. The Iowa Businesses Against Trafficking (IBAT) program empowers community members to recognize warning signs and safely support trafficking survivors.
Iowa businesses and organizations can take meaningful action by pledging to learn something and do something to combat trafficking in their communities.
Every business has the power to create change. Because people are not for sale, IBAT is inviting business to receive free training resources and practical steps for identifying warning signs and supporting survivors. Together, we can help end human trafficking in Iowa by pledging online to help create awareness: https://ibat.iowa.gov
A number of resources are available, and several organizations are joining forces to help end the exploitation of vulnerable people.
Suspicious activity or concerns can be reported by calling the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888 or you can also text “HELP” to BeFree (233733).
The Iowa DPS Office to Combat Human Trafficking will be informed by the national helpline. Concerns can also be emailed to: help@humantraffickinghotline.org
For more information, visit: www.humantraffickinghotline.org
Headquartered in Ames, Iowa, the Iowa Network Against Human Trafficking & Slavery (NAHT) is Iowa’s first and only statewide volunteer organization devoted exclusively to ending trafficking in all its forms. The Iowa NAHT is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that is overseen by a board of Directors (20 members) from across Iowa. Although there are no employees and the Iowa NAHT does not provide direct services to victims or survivors, the network’s website provides Iowa human trafficking information, training, and shares volunteer opportunities.
Four statewide projects are coordinated in Iowa to help end human trafficking and slavery through coalition building, raising awareness, and promoting education and advocacy:
– Hotel/Motel Employee Training and Awareness
– Rescue Sticker Distribution and Awareness Project
– Anti-Trafficking Massage Business Project
– Demand An End Project
Additional information can be found online: https://iowanaht.org/resources
Communicating with someone in a dangerous situation
When communicating with someone in a dangerous or potential trafficking situation:
- Recognize that the person in the situation knows their situation best, and it is necessary to honor their requests to ensure their safety;
- Maintain open and nonjudgmental communication, ensuring they know they can reach out at any time, and end the call when they need to;
- Try to speak in person if possible;
- If that is not possible, try to speak on the phone first [rather than via text or social media messaging] and ask if the person is alone, and then use yes/no questions until they indicate it is safe to communicate more freely;
- If they are alone, try to establish safety words: one word to indicate it is safe to talk/the person is alone [for future communications] and one to indicate it is no longer safe to talk and what the person in the situation would like done [stop communication immediately/contact law enforcement];
- Try to learn more about safety concerns;
- Try to learn more about their needs/wishes moving forward [reporting, shelter, counseling, legal services, etc.]
