MnDOT to Post Human Trafficking Messages at Rest Areas – FOX 21 Online

Minnesota has the third highest number of human trafficking cases in the nation, according to the FBI

ST. PAUL, Minn. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has announced it will be installing posters at 41 rest areas across the state to educate the public about human trafficking.

The posters include guidelines on how to recognize signs of human trafficking and potential victims, and a toll-free hotline to report any suspicious activity.

Human trafficking often involves travel, which includes the transport of victims form a base of operations to locations of exploitation.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Twin Cities is one of the 13 U.S. cities with a particularly high rate of child prostitution, and Minnesota has the third highest number of human trafficking cases in the nation, said MnDOT Commissioner Charlie Zelle. MnDOTs responsibility for maintaining the quality and safety of multiple modes of transportation, including highways, airports, rail lines, transit systems, and commercial vehicles, provides unique opportunities to see, and stop, human trafficking.

MnDOT signed a pledge in January 2017 to join Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking, to make a stand against human trafficking and work to develop resources to inform the traveling public, as well as its employees on the issues.

To learn more about the initiative visitwww.dot.state.mn.us/humantraffickingawareness/

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MnDOT to Post Human Trafficking Messages at Rest Areas - FOX 21 Online