Above: (L-R) Jeff Lenard, NACS; Christy Johnson, Iowa deputy secretary of state; and Stan Welch, VP of safety & security at G6 Hospitality LLC, were part of an industry panel discussion at the DHS Anti-Trafficking Symposium.
January was National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and NACS actively supported the efforts of its partners who are engaged in this effort.
NACS Vice President of Media and Strategic Communications Jeff Lenard was invited to be a panelist at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT) Anti-Trafficking Symposium in Arlington, Virginia. The meeting brought together leaders from numerous national and regional groups that are actively addressing human trafficking.
NACS currently works with multiple groups that fight human trafficking—including DHS, National Safe Place Network, Truckers Against Trafficking, In Our Backyard/Convenience Stores Against Trafficking and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children—and it was clear from the Q&A that more want to engage with the c-store industry.
Human trafficking is the second fastest growing crime in the world (behind only illicit drug sales) yet “it hides in plain sight,” said CCHT Director James Harris. Human trafficking relies on inaction by bystanders, and collaboration, training and awareness is essential in the fight against trafficking.
More than 30,000 convenience stores display CSAT’s “Freedom Stickers” in bathrooms that showcase the National Human Trafficking Hotline. A fuel truck for Virginia-based Petroleum Marketing Group has extended the message from stores to the street. Smaller stickers can be ordered for free at inourbackyard.org.
“Human trafficking has no place in a country that values freedom and the rule of law,” added CCHT’s Cara Rose.
During the panel discussion, Lenard and representatives from G6/Motel 6 and the Office of the Iowa Secretary of State shared how they developed programs for prevention as well as what pitfalls to avoid.
Later in the month, Lenard and representatives from BP, Travel Centers of America and Truckers Against Trafficking joined Convenience Stores Against Trafficking (CSAT) in New Orleans for its annual pre-Super Bowl outreach to raise awareness of human trafficking. To learn more or get involved, go to NACS Human Trafficking page or contact Lenard at jlenard@convenience.org.