Mayor, council proclaim January as Human Trafficking Prevention Month

The mayor and City Council issued a proclamation at the Jan. 12 meeting designating the month of January as Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Lydia Blanks, representing the Children’s Trust Fund, was invited for the proclamation reading. The mayor emphasized that human trafficking is a public-health issue and a crime that can affect anyone, and called for a coordinated community response that includes awareness, reporting and services for survivors.

Sharon Harvey was introduced as a representative of the county’s human trafficking task force; the proclamation urged residents to learn warning signs and to report tips to local authorities or task-force partners. The proclamation text read that the City of Coleman seeks designation as a trafficking-free zone and pledged coordination among agencies and survivors to improve services and prevention efforts.

The council accepted the proclamation and arranged for a group photo following the reading.