The
Elect
Ben
Holder
Project
Press
Release
In
2006,
the
FBI
identified
North
Carolina
as
an
area
with
human
trafficking
concerns
and
launched
an
information
and
awareness
campaign
to
increase
public
knowledge
about
the
modern
‐
day
slave
trade.
An
FBI
press
release
announcing
the
campaign
reported
that
local
law
enforcement
agencies
“recognized
the
importance
of
providing
information
to
the
public
regarding
the
nature
and
scope
of
this
crime
problem
within
the
state
of
North
Carolina”
(Federal
Bureau
of
Investigations
Charlotte
Field
Office
Internet
Site,
2006).
The
campaign
goal
was
to
increase
education
and
awareness
about
the
modern
‐
day
slave
trade
that
operates
in
North
Carolina.
Local
and
regional
media
were
listed
as
key
participants.
The
FBI’s
North
Carolina
initiative
was
funded
by
$15
million
through
the
Trafficking
Victims
Protection
Reauthorization
Act
(Ordonez,
2006).
Two months after the FBI initiative began, David Munday, director of Special Operationsfor the N.C. Highway Patrol, reported that raising awareness about North Carolina’s humantrafficking issues would be “an uphill battle” (Sheehan, 2006). Munday referred to a survey sentto all Sheriff's departments in North Carolina; most survey participants had no knowledge of human trafficking. According to Munday, one survey respondent declared that he or she did notwant to know more (Sheehan, 2006). The uphill battle Munday refers to continues in NorthCarolina.Come join Greensboro leaders on Tuesday, July 28, at 3pm as they discuss the creation of a human trafficking task force. The meeting will be held in the Plaza Level Conference Room inthe Melvin Municipal Office Building, 300 West Washington Street, Greensboro.
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