Eliminating human trafficking requires an army, and that is what the busing industry is building to help end human trafficking. Through their sheer numbers, extensive travels, and the nature of their jobs; members of the bus industry—commercial, transit, and school—are all uniquely positioned to provide an extra set of eyes and ears for law enforcement in recovering victims and arresting traffickers.
At Arrow Stage Lines, we are sorrowfully aware of the horrible crime that can be happening right in plain sight, but can easily be missed, if we are not diligent and know what to look for. In an effort to help end this violence, Arrow Stage Lines provides training offered by Busing on the Lookout to all of our team members. This training includes an online course as well as corresponding materials and tools that can be used to fight this crime every day on the job. We believe it is our duty to be prepared and ready for any situation that may arise.
Human trafficking – otherwise known as modern-day slavery – is the exploitation of human beings through force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of commercial sex or forced labor. There are an estimated 40 million victims of human trafficking globally, including hundreds of thousands of children and adults right here in the United States. Traffickers can be strangers, acquaintances, or even family members who “recruit” out of all sorts and types of locations, including schools, malls, sporting events, and bus stops/airports. These are all areas where we find our motorcoaches working frequently and that is one of the reasons we decided to step in and chose to take action. We want to be a part of the movement to continue creating awareness and helping to put an end to human trafficking.
As members of the motorcoach industry, we are well positioned to recognize the signs of trafficking and assist law enforcement in recovering victims and arresting traffickers. Most traffickers are counting on people not paying attention and not knowing the things to look for or the questions to ask. If everyone knew what to look for and how to report it, imagine the effect we could have on eliminating human trafficking.
Our Mission at Arrow Stage Lines is to provide safe, comfortable, and reliable charter bus transportation that exceeds expectations of our customers. We also like to say that we want to be part of changing the world through our Hero Projects. We are working at doing this by not only providing world class transportation, but also by helping eliminate human trafficking.
If you would like to join us in this mission to stop human trafficking and receive training to recognize the signs, please visit www.busingonthelookout.org to learn more. More importantly, if you see someone or know anyone involved in human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
