New campaign aims to combat human trafficking

The Human Trafficking Task Force of Southern Colorado hopes a new campaign will raise awareness and help put an end to the illegal activity.

This week, signs went up on buses and benches in Colorado Springs, encouraging the public to report human trafficking. These will also be put up at restaurant restrooms.

“This is a horrible atrocity that’s going on in our community, and we’re just reaching out to people at different places that we might not have reached out to them before, whether it’s on benches, or in bathrooms or on buses,” Human Trafficking Task Force board member Deborah Manzanares said.

She said many people still don’t realize that human trafficking is a big problem in Colorado Springs.

Last year, the Colorado Springs Police Department formed a human trafficking investigation team. In its first year, officers made 22 felony arrests and 47 misdemeanor arrests. They rescued 26 juvenile victims and 44 adult victims.

The Human Trafficking Task Force is tackling the demand for the illegal activity in the hopes to eliminate it.

You can find more information at http://ht-colorado.org.

To report human trafficking, call 1 (800)455-5075.

“Go with your gut,” Manzanares said. “If it doesn’t look right, report it.”