FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 11, 2016
Contact: James Hallinan (505) 660-2216
Santa Fe, NM – Attorney General Hector Balderas marked the importance of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day on Monday, January 11, 2016, reminding all New Mexico families to be vigilant when it comes to human trafficking predators. The Attorney General is asking all New Mexicans to learn to recognize the signs of human trafficking this week.
“Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and it’s happening across New Mexico, in our communities, and in our neighborhoods. Human traffickers prey in the shadows on the most vulnerable New Mexicans so it’s critical for us all to recognize the signs of human trafficking,” said Attorney General Balderas. “I’m asking all New Mexicans to take a few minutes this week to educate themselves about the signs of human trafficking by visiting www.polarisproject.org/recognize-signs.”
Human traffickers enslave children, women, and vulnerable populations into the forced sex and labor trades in what is estimated to be a $150 billion industry worldwide. In New Mexico, the Office of the New Mexico Attorney General, along with partnerships, including state agencies, Community-Based Care lead agencies, service providers, law enforcement, prosecutors, the judiciary, and concerned citizens, are driving the fight against human trafficking.
To report suspected human trafficking, call the Office of the Attorney General’s Special Investigations Division at 1-866-627-3249, text 505-GET-FREE hotline, The Life Link’s AntiHuman Trafficking Initiative, or the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
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