BOISE, Idaho — January 11th marks a day when communities wear blue for National Human Trafficking Awareness. Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery that exists across the country. January marks Human Trafficking Awareness month, and the Idaho Anti-trafficking coalition hosted an event at the state capitol to help the community better understand human trafficking.
"In Idaho, we are far behind this effort on a national base,” said Jennifer Zielinski, Executive Director for the Idaho Anti-Trafficking Coalition.
On Wednesday morning, Governor Brad Little supported Anti-Trafficking Awareness day with a signed proclamation. It’s a move that local human trafficking advocates support but hope more lawmakers get involved in the movement and recognize human trafficking as a priority within Idaho.
Currently, no system exists to gather data locally on human trafficking; Dawn Maglish, the founder of InsideOut Cares, says setting up a system involving local agencies and state programs would help us better understand what we are dealing with in Idaho’s communities.
"We are hoping legislatures will strengthen our laws so human trafficking can be identified appropriately so that victims would be criminalized, creating a safe community," said Dawn Maglish, the founder of InsideOut Cares.
The Idaho Anti-Trafficking Coalition averaged over 200 victims of human trafficking in the last year, based on the resources they have been able to provide through their local hotline.
"We identify a trend of all our border towns and surrounding states. It is really accessible for traffickers or criminal networks to transport individuals throughout the state,” said Jennifer Zielinski.
Of every ten trafficking victims identified worldwide, five were adult women, and two were girls. Females remain the most common victims of sexual exploitation, making it the most common form of human trafficking.
"And I just wanted to be a part of the solution versus pretending like it doesn't exist," said Dawn Maglish.
If you want to learn more about the Idaho Anti-Trafficking Coalition, click here.
