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Mesa proclaims January Human Trafficking Awareness Month; local coalition outlines outreach plans
Summary
Mesa City Council issued a proclamation recognizing January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Councilmember Julie Spilsbury and representatives from Not In Our City and Hope Church Movement described local awareness and education efforts and announced a coalition event in September.
Mesa City Council issued a proclamation recognizing January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month and heard remarks from a regional coalition about public outreach and a September event.
Councilmember Julie Spilsbury introduced the proclamation and said human trafficking “is a global plague that impacts millions of people each year, including tens of thousands of Americans.” She told the council that Arizona ranks in the top 15 states for human trafficking per capita and urged cross-sector collaboration among “schools, churches, nonprofits, law enforcement, businesses, and community coalitions” to prevent trafficking and support victims.
Scott September, representing the coalition Not In Our City, said his group focuses on education and praised Mesa’s participation. “Proclamations are very important because, they're a public profession of who you are as a council and as a community, and it lets everybody know what you stand for,” September said. He thanked the city for the proclamation and encouraged public awareness efforts.
Pastor Brian Smith of Hope Church Movement described the coalition as “a coalition of law enforcement, city officials, frontline organizations, community groups, and churches” and invited the public to the coalition's annual event on Sept. 23 at Grace Community Church.
The remarks were delivered during the council's ceremonial portion of the meeting; no formal action beyond issuing the proclamation was recorded.
