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National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, USA

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The 11th January is recognized as the National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in the United States of America. This is a day separate and distinct from the United Nations' World Day Against Trafficking in Persons which is commemorated on the 30th July of each year.

The purpose of the National Human Trafficking Awareness Day is to bring attention and demonstrate opposition to human trafficking and modern-day slavery (neo-slavery).

The National Human Trafficking Awareness Day was established in 2007 by the Senate Resolution which states that the U.S. prohibits human trafficking in the United States and around the world and is committed to actively opposing all individuals, groups, organizations, and nations who support, advance, or commit acts of human trafficking.

It is a fact that approximately 2.5 million people fall victim to human trafficking with half of those trafficked, being children. Every country in the world is affected by human trafficking, but often it occurs in the less developed countries, although high numbers of trafficking incidents are reported in the more developed countries also.

The latest research shows that Europe is the destination for victims from the widest range of destinations whereas the most commonly identified form of human trafficking is sexual exploitation. Unfortunately, we see that a large number of women are involved in human trafficking not only as victims but sadly as culprits. Usually, the culprits and the victim are of the same nationality.

Forced labour is another form of human trafficking and it generally takes place in areas such as agriculture, construction, domestic work, healthcare services, entertainment, garment and textile and the sex industries.

Human trafficking is the darkest part of humanity. It is a crime that most people are averse to even think about it. There are organizations and foundations which are doing a great job in rescuing victims and making sure children return back home, such as the Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R) which has managed to rescue over 3,000 victims since 2019, led by President/CEO Tim Ballard. Other private initiatives such as the Foundation of Tony Robbins, have given tremendous support, in that they have helped to raise funds which succeeded in saving more than 15,000 women and arresting more than 1,700 traffickers from around the world.

“Each and every woman and child saved are a true testament to the power and resiliency of the human spirit.” Tony Robbins

Here at Michael Kyprianou & Co LLC we consider the deprivation of a person’s freedom to liberty and dignity for another person’s profit as a form of modern slavery which cannot be characterized in any other way but as a criminal offence. We have a zero-tolerance approach and we are fully committed in the fight against human trafficking to make this world a safer place.

The content of this press release is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter and does not constitute legal advice. For any further information, please contact Ms. Paola Hadjilambri, Director of Business Development at Michael Kyprianou and Co LLC via email at: Paola.Hadjilambri@kyprianou.com or by phone at +357 26930800.