GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A one-of-a-kind mobile museum stopped at Schneider in Green Bay Monday to spread awareness about human trafficking.
The Freedom Drivers Project is a mobile exhibit that from the outside looks like any other 48-foot-truck, but inside, is lined with interactive sex trafficking education.
The exhibit is a program of Truckers Against Trafficking.
Organization spokesperson Helen Van Dam says the exhibits look to tell the complete story of human trafficking.
“Each one of these kinds of pinpoints how this is happening, why and how did someone get stuck in that life, and then also telling the story of a call that led to recoveries and arrests,” says Van Dam.
Since 2009, when the organization began, 612 cases involving over 1,100 victims have been generated by truckers simply staying alert and calling in.
“They are the folks that are out there on the front lines driving the highways, so they know what to look for,” she explains. “When they look for it and when they report it, it’s leading to recoveries and arrests.”
The goal of their organization is to educate as many truckers and members of the general public in what to look out for.
“We have a 30-minute training video that we ask companies to incorporate into driver orientation or a regular safety meeting,” she explains. “Then we have a wallet-card that has the National Human Trafficking Hotline number on it.”
That number is (1-888-3737-888).
Human trafficking is a national problem as reports have come in from all 50 states and the number of victims in the United States is estimated in the hundreds of thousands.
But, the issue also exists at the local level.
According to Van Dam, Brown County set-up a “reverse sting” last summer in which they posted a fictional advertisement online for sex.
“They actually had over 400 hits on the ad,” she explains. “Now that wasn’t the number of people who made a meeting or were arrested, but if you just think about that demand, they will supply it.”
Schneider, one of the nation’s largest truckload carriers, says they are proud to be at the forefront of this movement.
“Fighting against human trafficking aligns with our core values — especially safety and integrity,” explains Tom DiSalvi, vice president of safety, driver training, and compliance at Schneider. “That’s why all Schneider drivers complete training to spot the signs of trafficking while they crisscross America.”
In the last year, Schneider became a platinum-level supporter of Truckers Against Trafficking, donating more than $25,000 annually in funding.
