Almost all Phoenix employees complete human trafficking awareness training

PHOENIX — More than 90% of Phoenix employees completed human trafficking awareness training, earning the city a special Cities Empowered Against Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) Designation.

According to the city of Phoenix, 13,617 employees completed the training as of Feb. 4. The designation is awarded to municipalities and government organizations that train at least 75% of their workforce.

“Human trafficking can impact any community, and Phoenix has demonstrated its continued commitment to eradicating this crime,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in a press release. “By training our city employees to recognize the signs of human trafficking, we are sending a clear message that commercial sexual exploitation has no place in our city.”

The city has been taking action to address human trafficking for more than a decade.

The mayor and City Council came together to approve the Mayor’s Human Trafficking Task Force in 2013. The Compass Plan was later created which prioritizes victim services, awareness and outreach and training.

“Human trafficking is not just a law enforcement problem,” Councilman Jim Waring, chair of the Mayor’s Human Trafficking Task Force, said in the release. “Empowering ourselves with the knowledge to identify and prevent human trafficking is one step in keeping our communities safe from this horrible crime.”

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office also launched a program earlier this year to train frontline utility workers across the state on how to recognize and report human trafficking.

What does human trafficking awareness training look like?

The city’s human trafficking awareness training is an online course which instructs employees how to identify and report human trafficking. The course is self-paced and was built with municipal employees and government workers in mind.

“Sexual exploitation is a multifaceted crime that requires a proactive and informed response. As the fifth-largest city in the United States and a CEASE-designated city, Phoenix is committed to addressing commercial sexual exploitation through education, prevention and active intervention,” President and Board Chair of the Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network Fidencio Rivera said in the release.

“By equipping municipal employees with the knowledge to recognize and report this crime, the city is taking meaningful steps toward combatting sex trafficking and protecting vulnerable individuals.”

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