New bipartisan bill aims to expand human trafficking awareness training for employees

WASHINGTON — Thousands of people are impacted by human trafficking each year.

“This is a crime that robs you of your dignity, and your, your, your everything. It’s stripped you of everything,” Gina Cavallo said.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

Cavallo is a survivor of human trafficking. Now she’s an advocate, speaker, and author who raises awareness. She believes education about this crime is critical.

“How do you identify a victim? How do you identify a trafficker? And this is something that’s very difficult because they can look like me. They can look like you,” Cavallo said. “There’s no face that comes to it because they could be anybody and that’s why it doesn’t discriminate.”

Read: 12 suspects arrested for human trafficking in Jacksonville since 2019, sheriff’s office says

Cavalla said she’s supportive of a new bipartisan proposal that would expand training.

Currently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) runs the Blue Campaign, which provides training to law enforcement and members of the private sector.

The Human Trafficking Awareness Training Recognition Act of 2024 would create a certification program to incentivize employers in certain industries to encourage staff to complete human trafficking awareness training.

Read: St. Johns County man arrested in ‘Operation Spring Fling’ found guilty of human trafficking

Lawmakers said people who work in entertainment, hospitality, and transportation may be the first line of defense for identifying suspected human trafficking.

But Cavallo believes this training shouldn’t be limited to certain careers.

“It has to be everywhere. It has to be across the board,” she said. “Because human trafficking affects people at amusement parks, it affects people in the modeling industry, in, at schools, it’s happening at schools.”

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Cavallo also believes survivors must be a central part of the training.

“Bring survivors to the table not as tokens, but bringing survivors to the table so they could be heard so they could be seen so they could share their lived experience,” she said.

Cavallo added that her book, “A Survivor’s Secrets,” has resources for students, parents, and caregivers.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) endorses this proposal as well.

“The Human Trafficking Awareness Training Recognition Act would complement our industry’s anti-trafficking efforts by providing important third-party validation for hotels’ training and prevention initiatives,” said AHLA Interim President & CEO Kevin Carey in a written statement. “We are grateful to Reps. Valadao and Carter for introducing this important bill and look forward to helping them pass it into law.”

The Department of Homeland Security arrested more than 2,600 people for human trafficking-related offenses last year. The agency also helped more than 730 victims.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.