The Burien City Council issued a proclamation at its Jan. 4, 2021 meeting, declaring January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Burien.
Human trafficking is the use of force, fraud or coercion to compel a person into any form of labor against their will. Human trafficking can occur in any industry, including agriculture, construction, domestic service (housekeeper, nanny), restaurants, salons, commercial sex work, massage parlors, and small businesses.
New mayor Sofia Aragon recognized the work that local organizations are doing to combat human trafficking in our community, including:
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- King County Sheriff’s Office works with the Washington State Fusion Center, a network of law enforcement agencies that work together to share information. KCSO also works with the Department of Homeland Security to administer the U and T-Visa program, which allows immigration protection for victims of trafficking.
- Washington Anti-Trafficking Response Network (WARN), Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST), and Seattle Against Slavery are working to stop human trafficking in King County.
- Burien’s Human Services Fund helps support two organizations, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center and the Domestic Violence Women’s Network, who help victims of sex trafficking.
- The Port of Seattle launched anti-human trafficking training for its employees in 2019, to help ensure that Port staff, and others who work at Port facilities, have the knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to instances of human trafficking.
Combatting human trafficking requires the cooperation of law enforcement, businesses, and community members.
If you need to get or give help, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
If you need to get or give help, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.#HumanTraffickingAwarenessMonth #NotAlone (6/6) pic.twitter.com/9DuS7Eh37E
— City of Burien, WA (@Burien) January 12, 2022
