Page 3 - 2021 TAT Annual Report

Kendis Paris
Letter from the Executive Director
For many, 2021 found us engaging in a fight against a mercurial enemy and adjusting to a new normal ... masks, social distancing, COVID tests and vaccinations, etc. But for the United States trucking industry, the fight against human trafficking isn’t new ... it’s just the norm.
From a truck stop employee whose direct actions and quick thinking aided a woman who was being sexually exploited, to
three professional drivers now serving on TAT’s executive leadership team, to increases in calls to the national hotline that led to the recovery of victims, to tens of thousands more professional drivers registering as TAT trained, and carriers all across this great nation stepping up their partnerships with TAT in a myriad of ways -- including building out and bidding on the third Everyday Heroes Truck that garnered TAT its largest donation ever -- combating human trafficking is now an integral part of trucking’s DNA. And all this, while moving America.
We’re also seeing the bus and energy industries, along with
our state agency partners and portions of Canada and Mexico, embrace this work on a targeted systems-change level ... whether
it be adopting anti-trafficking-in-persons policies with a demand- reduction focus, implementing anti-trafficking training across the board for all employees, expanding what was once a state agency quad-state awareness campaign to encompass the majority of North America or forming the necessary private-public partnerships and committees to do the long-term work of counter-trafficking initiatives. All of these actions ultimately lead to victim recovery.
The following pages of this report outline their work and efforts alongside TAT. We are incredibly grateful and humble to be working with these partners who demonstrate what can be done when everyday heroes decide to step up and get involved. As always, we are indebted to them, and dedicate this report to each and every trucker against trafficking out on the roads.
TRUCKERS AGAINST TRAFFICKING 2021 ANNUAL REPORT
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Photo Credit: Thomson Reuters Foundation