January 6, 2022

Mayor Katie McCullough of the City of West Liberty

Proclamation for Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention

During the Month of January 2022

 Whereas, the United States was founded upon the principle that all people are created with the inalienable right to freedom, and added the 13th Amendment to the Constitution making slavery illegal; and

Whereas, slavery within the United States today is most often found in the form of forced labor and sex trafficking, which weakens our social fabric, increases violence and organized crime, and debases our humanity; and

Whereas, this heinous crime is found within our own community; and

Whereas, the Iowa Network Against Human Trafficking and Slavery has been working since 2005 to abolish all forms of human trafficking through education, volunteerism, advocacy and collaboration; and

Whereas, even though awareness of this crime is growing, human trafficking continues to go unreported due to its isolating nature, the misunderstanding of its definition, and the lack of awareness about its indicators; and

Whereas, increased community education on how to identify victims of human trafficking along with increased knowledge of local resources and services for those affected by these criminal actions can help restore freedom and dignity to identified survivors, as well as help diminish the number of future victims; and

Whereas, every business, community organization, faith community, family and individual can make a difference by choosing products that are not made by forced labor; by working to protect our young people from sexual exploitation; by addressing the problem of internet sex trafficking and pornography; and by becoming more aware of the problem and possible solutions; and

Now, Therefore, I Mayor McCullough of the city of West Liberty do hereby proclaim the month of January 2022 as Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and encourage all our citizens to become more informed on this growing problem, to be vigilant and report suspicious activity, and to work towards solutions to end trafficking in all its forms in our community. If you see something that doesn’t look right, take action and call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-3737-7888.

Mayor Katherine McCullough

Jan. 4, 2022