Kansas AG Schmidt announces partnership to combat human trafficking
TOPEKA – (January 11, 2022) – Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, which is January 11 each year. Kansas also recognizes January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
The Kansas Office of the Attorney General will partner with Kansas Rotary International districts to increase awareness of and compliance with the new state law enacted last year that requires certain establishments to post information about how to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced today.
During the 2021 legislative session, a new law was passed requiring posting of the National Human Trafficking Hotline in certain businesses and public places where the information can be readily available to victims who are being trafficked. The hotline number is 1-888-373-7888.
Posting of the hotline number helps connect victims to services and encourages the public to report potential trafficking so an appropriate response can occur. The new law is a result of recommendations made by the attorney general’s Human Trafficking Advisory Board (HTAB), which includes members of law enforcement, prosecutors, court personnel, advocates, state agency representatives and survivors of human trafficking who have expertise in this field.”
The new partnership with Rotary will multiply outreach efforts by equipping Rotarians with talking points and posters to distribute across Kansas. Posters also are available on the attorney general’s website in six languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hmong, and Korean.
Combating human trafficking in Kansas has been a priority for Attorney General Schmidt. Since he took office in 2011, the state has improved its legal framework and Kansas anti-trafficking laws reached the top tier of states, as reflected in a national scorecard called the “Protected Innocence Challenge.
To request additional information about human trafficking, access posters, which businesses are required to display informational posters, or to learn more about potential signs of human trafficking, go to https://ag.ks.gov/human-trafficking or contact the attorney general’s victim services toll-free hotline at (800) 828-9745 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m..