SAFE-T Program Presents on Labor Trafficking at Consulate of Mexico in Omaha
The Salvation Army’s Fight to End Trafficking (SAFE-T) program was recently invited to present on labor trafficking at the Consulate of Mexico in Omaha for its eleventh annual Labor Rights Week. Bilingual SAFE-T specialist Taylor Hughes spoke at the opening ceremony to approximately 50 attendees about labor trafficking in both Omaha and greater Nebraska and Iowa.
Hughes and SAFE-T director Jane Thorson joined other trafficking and labor experts from Nebraska Appleseed, the U.S. Department of Labor, Heartland Workers Center, Catholic Charities, the Immigrant Legal Center and the Office of Latin American Studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Many of those in attendance at the event were Mexican immigrants waiting at the Consulate to meet with an official about their visa or passport status or other immigration issues. SAFE-T offered critical information about how to get help if they or someone they know needs services.
SAFE-T’s mission is to help survivors of all forms of trafficking build their lives in a way that is empowering and meaningful to them by providing victim-centered services that address the continuum of needs survivors face, from crisis stabilization to comprehensive case management for intermediate and long-term needs.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to engage with those who are or could be impacted by labor trafficking,” said Thorson. “Immigrants are a particularly vulnerable population, and to be able to connect with them where they are in a nonthreatening way is a great asset.”
Hughes will visit the Mexican Consulate on a monthly basis to continue to connect with immigrants, establish relationships and provide information and resources in a safe context.
Anyone in need of immediate help for any form of trafficking should call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, open 24/7, and ask to speak to a SAFE-T specialist in Nebraska.