2018 Human Trafficking Public Awareness Campaign

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

During National Human Trafficking Awareness Month in January, the Oakland County Human Trafficking Task Force (HTTF) launched a month-long public awareness campaign to educate citizens about human trafficking via social media, the development of a new resources website and a press conference. The social media aspect of the campaign, created and coordinated in partnership with the award-winning Oakland County IT/eGovernment team, was the most successful ever for Oakland County, reaching more than 1.6 million people. Central to the overall effort was the creation of the website, which is intended to serve as a hub for vital information and resources about human trafficking in Oakland County and to facilitate intergovernmental and cross-agency collaboration in the region (www.oakgov.com/humantrafficking). The site is expected to grow as more information becomes available and as new ideas for tackling this complex problem develop. It was a tremendous collaborative effort on behalf of the HTTF and central to the social media campaign, which directed citizens back to this valuable new resource. On January 11th, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners (BOC), in partnership with the Health Division and Sheriff’s Office, held a press conference to raise awareness about human trafficking and to announce the launch of the website. More than 100 people attended and representatives from across law enforcement, the judicial system, social service agencies and state and local government were present to demonstrate their commitment to the shared fight against human trafficking in the region.