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Cascade proclaims January 2026 as Human Trafficking Prevention Month after public request
Summary
After a public comment from the Tri-State Coalition to End Human Trafficking, the Cascade City Council read and adopted a mayoral proclamation designating January 2026 as National Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in Cascade, urging education and awareness.
At the start of public comment on Jan. 12, Sister Mary Lechtenberg, representing the Tri-State Coalition to End Human Trafficking and accompanied by Sister Mary Lou Irons, asked the council to declare January Human Trafficking Awareness Month and described the coalition's education and advocacy work.
Sister Mary said the group has focused on presentations and outreach since 2014 and urged local attention to online grooming and exploitation, telling the council, “This is a huge crime, and it's growing every year.”
Mayor Steve Napper read a proclamation that cited the United Nations global plan of action’s pillars — protect, prevent and prosecute — and commended local schools, IT staff and the Coalition Against Human Trafficking for their efforts. Napper concluded, “I, Steve Napper, mayor of the City of Cascade, Iowa on 01/12/2026, on behalf of the city council, staff, and residents of Cascade, do hereby proclaim the month of January 2026 as National Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the city of Cascade, Iowa.”
The proclamation invites residents, particularly parents, to increase awareness of online use and applications that can groom youth into trafficking through fraud, force and coercion. The council proceeded with the proclamation after the public comment and reading; no formal vote to reject or amend the proclamation was recorded.
