In recognition of National Human Trafficking Prevention Month in January, the U.S. Department of Transportation is taking action to raise awareness among travelers and transportation employees across America’s transportation systems.

“The horrors of human trafficking are far reaching, but together, we have the power to detect and prevent them,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We’re empowering America’s transportation workforce and the traveling public — hundreds of millions strong — to be the eyes and ears of a collective effort to combat trafficking.”

On January 31, Secretary Buttigieg announced the opening of the Department’s 2024 Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award, which incentivizes individuals and organizations to think creatively in developing innovative solutions to combat human trafficking in the transportation industry, and to share those innovations with the broader community.

The Federal Register Notice describes the award which is open to both public and private sector stakeholders through March 11, 2024.Secretary Buttigieg also announced the launch of a Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking (TLAHT) awareness campaign.

The effort aims to educate and empower travelers and employees across all modes of transportation to recognize and report suspected instances of human trafficking. A variety of materials are available for download and can be tailored for use by transportation entities across the country to help raise awareness.

The Department of Transportation has developed counter-trafficking awareness training that is tailored specifically for transportation employees and travelers. The Department’s “Combating Human Trafficking in the Transportation Sector Awareness Training” for transportation personnel underscores the intersection of human trafficking and transportation, provides general and transport-specific indicators of human trafficking, and gives specific information on how to report suspected trafficking.