UPS is deeply committed to social impact – from disaster relief and volunteerism to planting trees and building safer communities. And helping prevent human trafficking is one way to make our communities safer.
What is human trafficking: According to Homeland Security, human trafficking involves forcing or coercing people into work or commercial sex. Millions of men, women and children are trafficked worldwide every year.
Heartbreaking statistics:
- 25% of human trafficking victims are children under the age of 18.
- $150 billion in profit is generated annually by traffickers around the globe.
What UPS is doing: UPSers have led the charge over the last six years by helping create awareness of the issue in the transportation industry. And they’ve raised more than $7 million in workplace giving to support the United Way Center to Combat Human Trafficking.
In 2021, UPS was named the winner of the Truckers Against Trafficking Champion Award at the American Trucking Association National Conference. Lou Rivieccio, president of UPS corporate transportation, serves on the Truckers Against Trafficking board of directors and has renewed UPS’s commitment to train drivers to spot and report signs of human trafficking on their routes.
In her words: “Human trafficking is a profoundly devasting crime that preys on society’s most vulnerable populations and puts our communities at risk,” said Nikki Clifton, president of social impact and The UPS Foundation. “We’re proud of UPS’s unwavering efforts to train our workforce, support non-profit organizations and provide thought leadership in the fight against human trafficking.”
To learn more, watch Nikki’s TED Talk on ways businesses can fight sex trafficking.
What you can do:
- Sign up for a Jan. 20 webinar sponsored by Randstad. UPS will join other corporate and non-government organization leaders to discuss the role businesses can play in addressing human trafficking.
- Sign up for a Jan. 28 webinar to learn how the generosity of UPS employees is combatting human trafficking around the globe.
- Learn the red flags of human trafficking.
- If a parent, monitor your kids’ social media and conversations for warning signs of trafficking.
- Put the hotline number 1-888-373-7888 in your phone to report red flags of human trafficking.