January Proclaimed Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Kansas

“Focusing on discouraging the demand for commercial sex acts is our current priority. Our goal is to foster a culture in Kansas in which the buying and selling of human beings for another’s sexual gratification is not acceptable.”

Schmidt said the public can help by reporting suspicious activity to a national hotline at 888-3737-888 or by calling local law enforcement. Human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing criminal industries in the world.

The watchful eyes of Kansas citizens can help protect those who are vulnerable from this crime against human dignity,” he said.

In July, Schmidt and representatives from more than 60 partnering organizations across the state launched the Demand an End initiative, which targets the buyers of commercial sex who create the demand for sex trafficking. Demand an End is a sex trafficking-specific public awareness campaign driven by a demand-focused approach and designed to complement and build upon legislative initiatives to deter buyers and reduce the demand for commercial sex.

To sign the petition to Demand an End to sex buying, visit http://DemandAnEnd.KS.gov.

For more information on human trafficking, go to http://ag.ks.gov/human-trafficking .