Openforce + Truckers Against Trafficking: Bringing lifesaving training to independent contractors

In honor of National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, Openforce has a new training opportunity available to all Openforce clients and independent contractors. Easily adaptable to company orientation programs, this training could potentially save lives. We are proud to announce our recent partnership with Truckers Against Trafficking. 

Who is Truckers Against Trafficking?  

TAT is a non-profit organization that is raising up a mobile army of transportation professionals to assist law enforcement in the recognition and reporting of human trafficking, to aid in the recovery of victims and the arrest of their perpetrators.  

Although “truckers” is in the name of the organization, their outreach extends to many verticals within transportation as well as other industries. The TAT organization is also present in Mexico and is currently expanding its offerings into Canada.  

The frontline aspect of independent contractor roles makes them uniquely positioned to spot human trafficking activity. Thousands of lives have been saved by our industry professionals simply because they had the knowledge and tools to make an anonymous phone call to alert the authorities of suspicious activity.  

TAT offers a free, self-paced online training for ICs to learn about spotting suspicious behaviors, and what to do about them. Although this program is geared toward the transportation, busing, and energy industries, anyone in any profession can gain valuable knowledge by participating in this self-paced, online training. Just 30 minutes of your time could potentially save lives. 

TAT also has resources available for businesses and corporations that are willing to implement this specialized training into their standard onboarding process. The training content was created to be easily adapted into new IC orientation or regular ongoing safety training. Not only is this for an incredibly compelling cause, but this could help in attracting quality IC workers who appreciate specialized training to add to their skillsets while promoting the social responsibility of your business. 

Did you know?  

Human trafficking is defined as the exploitation of human beings through force, fraud, or coercion, for the purposes of commercial sex or forced labor, wherein a third party is making a profit. 

Human trafficking is modern-day slavery.  

And chances are, it is happening a lot closer to home than you think. Despite the global criminalization of slavery, human trafficking still occurs in every nation.  

• There are over 40 million victims (about twice the population of New York) of human trafficking globally. (International Labor Organization) 
• Human trafficking is a $150 billion criminal activity. (International Labor Organization) 
• Human trafficking happens in all 50 states, including Washington D.C. (National Human Trafficking Hotline) 
• Thousands of children are at risk of being prostituted in the US each year. (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) 
• Victims of human trafficking are disproportionately women and girls of color (Rights4Girls) 

For even more insight, tune into The Gig Academy Podcast to hear our interview with Laura Cyrus, TAT Director of Corporate Engagement. The more we are educated on this harrowing topic, the more we can do to potentially save a life.