January was National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and to help raise awareness Phillips 66 is now a proud sponsor of Truckers Against Trafficking, a nonprofit that educates the trucking, busing and energy industries on how to recognize and report human trafficking. Authorities estimate that there are 27 million slaves in the world today and an estimated 199,000 incidents of sexual exploitation of minors occur each year in the United States, which does not account for the adults being exploited every day. Each year an estimated $150 billion is generated by victims of human trafficking. Education and awareness of these cases is important for your sites, as human trafficking can happen to anyone, anywhere. Understanding the signs of a potential victim and/or trafficker is crucial in mitigating these cases. 

How this impacts you: 

C-stores serve half the U.S. population daily and with the presence of public restrooms and longer hours of operation, they are a frequent stop for traffickers and a hot spot for human trafficking to occur. However, this also means you have the chance to help victims of human trafficking if you and your employees are aware of the warning signs of a victim and/or trafficker at your station.  

In Our Backyard is a non-profit dedicated to educating others on the fight against trafficking, and through their Convenience Stores Against Trafficking program, you and your employees can post freedom stickers in your women’s restrooms giving victims a hotline to call if they are in danger.  

You can request Freedom Stickers here for free to display in your women’s restrooms. Over 20,000 convenience stores posting Freedom Stickers reach four million people every single day!  

In addition, review and share these warning signs of a potential victim and potential traffickers with your employees. 

What to look for: 

• Victim may appear fearful or anxious.  
• Victim may avoid eye contact or social interaction.
• Victim may appear malnourished or show signs of physical abuse. 
• Multiple female victims may be together and may have similar tattoos. 
• Victim may be controlled by traffickers and not be able to speak for themselves or make purchases without the traffickers consent.  
• Victims of human trafficking can be of any race, ethnicity, gender, age or socioeconomic status with sex trafficking victims often being domestic born and labor trafficking victims being foreign born.

What to do if you suspect human trafficking: 

• Write down a physical description (age, race, height, tattoos, scars, identifying characteristics). 
• Write down a description of vehicles involved (color, make, model, license plate and state). 
• Note time of day to help authorities search video. 
• Do not confront a suspected trafficker directly or alert a victim to any suspicion.  
• Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-3737-888 and report what you observed as soon as you can. 
• Don’t worry about being wrong.