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"In a country that was founded on the principles of freedom, no
one should be held or forced to work against their will," said
Blagojevich. "Illinois has been a national leader in fighting this
form of modern-day slavery, passing laws to help prosecute offenders
and creating a coalition to find and assist victims. On this day of
awareness, we join Senator Obama, the Salvation Army and all of our
partners in speaking out and saying we won't tolerate this
despicable crime in our state."
The Illinois Rescue and Restore program will observe its third
annual Outreach Day on April 26. Posters will be displayed across
the state through partners that include the Illinois Department of
Transportation, Chicago Police Department, Illinois State Police,
and many local community and faith-based social service agencies.
Volunteers will target locations where a potential victim of
trafficking or a first responder might see the message, such as in
highway rest stops, libraries, gas stations, health clinics,
restaurants, laundromats and retail stores. Various types of posters
have been produced in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Korean and
Vietnamese.
The Illinois Rescue and Restore campaign, launched in 2005 by
Blagojevich and the Department of Health and Human Services, is
a coalition comprised of local agencies, state agencies, law
enforcement and the faith community to raise awareness of the
problem.
Additionally, the Chicago Salvation Army recently received a
grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to work
with the Illinois Rescue and Restore initiative started by
Blagojevich.
"In the past two years, more than 60 trafficking victims have
been identified and helped through the Rescue and Restore program,"
said Department of Human Services Secretary Carol L. Adams, Ph.D.
"National Awareness Day highlights our goal of increasing awareness
and building a grass-roots community response to human trafficking."
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 As one of the first states to enact anti-human trafficking
legislation, Illinois has been at the forefront of addressing this
serious human rights violation. It is critical to continue to build
awareness of human trafficking in our communities, identify and
protect victims, and ensure traffickers are being prosecuted. The
International Organization for Adolescents, a Chicago organization,
is an established global leader in developing and implementing
training and prevention programs to address the problem of human
trafficking.
"For nearly a decade, IOFA has developed successful training
programs for key responders, including government leaders, law
enforcement, community organizations, educational establishments and
service providers, and is dedicated to continue to doing so in
Illinois as long as the problem persists," says Katherine Kaufka,
executive director of the International Organization for
Adolescents.
The state's toll-free Trafficking Information and Referral
Hotline, 1-888-373-7888, is designated to provide assistance to
organizations and victims of trafficking. The toll-free line helps
organizations and victims of trafficking by providing instant
referrals to pre-screened aid organizations in their city. Calls are
referred to local service agencies equipped to provide initial
services to trafficking victims.
"The hotline is currently averaging 10 calls
a month in Illinois," said DHS Assistant Secretary Grace Hou. "We
hope that with continued outreach and awareness that number will
multiply and we will be able to identify and help victims."
To learn more about the campaign, visit
www.dhs.state.il.us for information and resources. To sign up to
volunteer for the Outreach Day in April, go to the
Illinois
Rescue and Restore site online.
[Text from file received from
the
Illinois Office of
Communication and Information] |
