PEORIA, Ill. – The Center for Prevention of Abuse is trying something new to continue to raise awareness about human trafficking and how prevalent it may be in Central Illinois.
The agency has partnered with the Greater Peoria Mass Transit District to put a wrap-around ad on a CityLink Bus with information and a phone number to call if someone may be a victim, knows someone who is, or sees what may be trafficking in action.
“It does happen in every corner of the United States,” said Carol Merna, CEO, Center for Prevention of Abuse. “The 200 survivors that we have served is, really, just the tip of the iceberg. What we don’t see is what’s lurking beneath the surface. There’s a lot of folks that are caught up in human trafficking, that don’t want to be caught up in human trafficking, and really don’t know where to turn.”
Merna says her agency partners with state and federal agencies to help address the issue in several dozen Central Illinois counties.
“I’d like to say it’s improving, because we’re hearing from more people, but we don’t have numbers to show that,” said Merna. “It’s very difficult to show improvement, when we just don’t understand the full magnitude of how it’s happening in this area.”
Merna says many times, it could happen to loved ones or family members, and not necessarily to people like immigrants, though that’s also possible.
The bus ad will be up for the next year and a half.
Comments