Spokane Transit will be participating in the “Not Alone” campaign to support National Human Trafficking Awareness Month throughout January. 

Human trafficking is the use of force, fraud, or coercion used to make an individual work in any industry, including the sex industry. It is a crime that disproportionately impacts people who are vulnerable due to impoverishment, unstable housing, violence, age, or discrimination against their race, gender identity, or sexual orientation. 

STA will be placing awareness posters in public transit locations where they are most likely to be seen by people who are being trafficked. These posters encourage victims to call or text the National Human Trafficking Hotline for assistance. The campaign’s lifesaving information will also be shared through STA’s social networking channels during the month of January.

But because it’s important to keep this awareness message and lifeline phone number readily available year-round, STA will be installing permanent signage on all STA buses that feature the 24-hour hotline number, which offers language assistance in English, Spanish, and 200 additional languages. 

BEST (Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking) developed the posters and campaign materials to help victims of human trafficking identify themselves and access help through the national hotline. BEST received funding from the State of Washington to develop the campaign collateral and has distributed it to be shared by participating transportation agencies throughout the state.