City of St. Augustine Beach
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City Recognizes January 2024 Human Trafficking Awareness Month
December 6, 2023, St. Augustine Beach, Florida - At the City Commission meeting on December 4th, the Commission recognized January 2024 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Catherine Altman, President, St. Augustine Branch of the American Association of University Women and Sheryll Sharp, Chief Program Officer, Betty Griffin Center were in attendance and spoke about the problem of human trafficking and their appreciation of the City’s acknowledgement and proclamation.
Human trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of forced labor or sexual servitude. Human trafficking is a $150 billion a year global criminal enterprise, is a crime as well as a civil and human right violation, and the United States government estimates that between 600,000 to 800,000 individuals are trafficked across international borders each year.
In 2021, Florida had the third highest number of human trafficking cases in the United States, and in 2021 had approximately 751 victims identified with high indicators of human trafficking.
More awareness and education are crucial to eradicating human trafficking in our communities, state, and nation.
The City of St. Augustine Beach recognizes, encourages, and supports survivors and their families and the fight against the exploitation of women, men, and children.
For more information on the St. Augustine Branch of the American Association of University Women, please visit their website: AAUW St. Augustine (FL) Branch
For more information on the Betty Griffin Center, please visit their website: Betty Griffin Center – St. Johns County Support Services for Victims of Sexual & Domestic Abuse. For 24-hour help, people may call 904-824-1555 to reach the crisis line at Betty Griffin.
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For Media inquiries, contact Melinda Conlon at eventspio [at] cityofsab.org.