Huntsville International Airport partners with the Junior League of Huntsville to aid human trafficking victims
August 17, 2020
HUNTSVILLE, ALA
Huntsville International Airport is equipping all of their restrooms with signs to help aid victims of human trafficking thanks to a partnership with the Junior League of Huntsville.
In 2017 The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) adopted ABOLISH as an association-wide initiative to scale the movement and unite communities across the United States and beyond in an effort to generate greater awareness of the intractable, systemic issue of child sex slavery. The Junior League of Huntsville adopted Human Trafficking Awareness as a community initiative in 2017 and formally joined the ABOLISH movement in alignment with the AJLI in 2019.
Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act and affects close to 25 million people worldwide. Identifying victims of trafficking is essential to breaking this cycle of abuse, and the Junior League of Huntsville is committed to providing this education and training to their members and greater Huntsville community. They are grateful for the opportunity to extend this reach through the new airport signage.
“Having thwarted a human trafficking attempt inside our own airport” said Jana Kuner, Huntsville International Airport Public Relations Manager. “We realized just how prevalent this issue is in society today and we wanted to do more to be sure that more people knew what to look for and how to seek help.
Employees and tenants of Huntsville International Airport are trained utilizing the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign protocol, “See Something, Say Something.” This national campaign raises public awareness of suspicious activity and reporting the activity to local law enforcement, including the Port of Huntsville’s Public Safety Team.
These signs are just an extra measure for passengers to look out for possible victims as well and offer a helping hand to those being trafficked. The signs will be displayed in both English and Spanish and include the number for the Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline: 1-888-3737-888. The hotline can also be reached by texting “HELP” or “INFO” to 233733, with tipsters encouraged to include tag numbers and car descriptions in their texts. The signs will be installed Monday, August 17, 2020, by members of the Junior League of Huntsville and Port of Huntsville staff.
For more information about the Abolish Movement and the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign please visit their website linked here.
About Huntsville International Airport
The Port of Huntsville operating entities include: Huntsville International Airport (HSV), International Intermodal Center, Jetplex Industrial Park, Signature Flight Support, Four Points Sheraton, Sunset Landing Golf Course and Foreign Trade Zone #83. Huntsville International Airport (HSV) is the largest commercial airport in North Alabama, serving over 1 million passengers annually. For more information, visit http://www.flyhuntsville.com.
About the Junior League of Huntsville
The Junior League of Huntsville is committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities, and through the ABOLISH platform, they are privileged to give voice to the most vulnerable victims. For more information, visit https://www.jlhuntsville.com/
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Huntsville International Airport Contact:
Cooper Jacob
Public Relations
Huntsville International Airport
cjacob@hsvairport.org
256.690.8066