Washington, DC, leads the country in human trafficking cases per capita.

WASHINGTON , DC, USA, August 14, 2019 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Washington, DC, has the highest rate of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline per capita of any city in the US.To help raise awareness of human trafficking, Youth for Human Rights volunteers in royal blue shirts educated the community as well as police officers on human rights and trafficking as part of this year’s National Night Out.

National Night Out is a police sponsored event throughout the US that encourages communities to work and live in harmony together with their police. Citing their slogan “We are Better Together”, the Commander of the First District urged the community to come out and play and help the police to improve neighborhoods.

“Education on human rights and an understanding of how to spot the signs of trafficking is a preventative measure to combat trafficking in our communities. When you know how to spot trafficking and report it properly you actually can help save lives,” stated Erica Rodgers, National Office Director for Youth for Human Rights International. She continued, “Training on how to properly spot and report human trafficking can make a big impact and assist law enforcement.”

“Right here in the Nation’s Capital, our most vulnerable residents, many of whom are children, are subjected to sex slavery and other forms of human trafficking,” Ms. Rodgers added. “Human Trafficking Hotline statistics in 2018 for the District of Columbia reported a moderate estimate of 1,060 victims of human trafficking confirmed and 3,482 suspected instances of human trafficking reported. But how much more occurs and goes unreported?”

The U.S. Attorney’s office for Washington, DC, has an active outreach program and task force on human trafficking, and works to provide DC police with training sessions to combat human trafficking in communities.

The Youth for Human Rights National Office would like to see that expanded and has been advocating for federal legislation that would require all states to provide training programs for police officers on how to spot and address instances of suspected human trafficking. “The police also have to be educated in how to spot human trafficking and how to handle it as partners with the community. Our local police forces are the backbone of the community. Together we can keep our children safe and free,” said Ms. Rodgers.

The award winning Youth for Human Rights education materials teach 30 rights in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and raises awareness of human rights violations. Human Trafficking violates Human Right #4: No Slavery.
Started in 1984, National Night Out, promotes a spirit of partnership between police and their communities while involving all in crime-prevention activities annually in August. Each of DC’s police districts celebrated this partnership as National Night Out brought community police and residents together.

About Youth for Human Rights:
Youth for Human Rights International, a non-profit organization committed to educating people worldwide on their human rights and accompanying responsibilities through the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, assisting and enabling young people to become leaders, advocating for tolerance and peace. While many other global human rights organizations focus on raising concerns about human rights violations, advancing research and advocating on behalf of the victims of abuse, Youth for Human Rights International complements this work by addressing those issues with educational materials and activities. At the core of its campaign are the informational “What Are Human Rights?” booklets, introducing youth and adults to the 30 rights in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, illustrated in simple and clear language. They are provided free of charge to millions of people annually and made available in 27 languages at https://www.youthforhumanrights.org/request-info/free-portfolio.html
If you are an educator, request your free Education Package HERE.
To learn more about Youth for Human Rights International go to https://www.youthforhumanrights.org or watch
https://www.scientology.tv/series/voices-for-humanity/mary-shuttleworth.html

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