With January being Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the Office of Human Trafficking Prevention has been working to make people aware of how big of an issue that it is here.
Director Mary Kate Andrepont says human trafficking happens around the entire state at all times of the year.
“Human trafficking is not only happening during major events, but it’s happening across Louisiana; not only in our cities and urban hubs, but also in our small communities,” Andrepont said.
Andrepont says as part of the office’s outreach, it does a lot of training programs to help personnel in schools, hospitals and law enforcement identify human trafficking.
“We really want to ensure those individuals, who are on the frontline that are able to identify possible victims, have the tools and resources they need to spot human trafficking,” Andrepont explained.
Andrepont says one thing that sets Louisiana apart in its response to human trafficking is its uniform referral system.
“If you call the Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline, it routes all of those reports, not only to the Louisiana State Police, but to Victim Services,” Andrepont said.
Andrepont says the reason they’re seeing more victims is because through her office’s outreach efforts, officials are doing a better job at identifying trafficking victims.
To report suspected human trafficking activity, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline
at 1 (888) 373-7888.
To report an allegation of human trafficking of a minor, contact the DCFS Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline at 1 (855) 452-5437 (option #4), The hotline is toll-free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.