TABC to offer free webinar on identifying, reporting signs of human trafficking

As part of January’s designation as Human Trafficking Prevention Month, Texas officials and the state’s restaurant industry are hosting a free seminar to help.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and the Texas Restaurant Association will conduct a free webinar at 2 p.m. this Thursday to help bartenders and food-service workers spot the warning signs of human trafficking. The session will also cover how to report suspicious activity.

“Our best tool to fight human trafficking is the eyes and ears of all Texans,” TABC Executive Director Thomas Graham said in a statement. “TABC is proud to work with our partners in the Texas Restaurant Association and the alcoholic beverage industry to help make a safer Texas for all.”

Texas’ long international border makes it a hotbed for human trafficking, the National Library of Medicine reports. An estimated 234,000 people are the victims of labor trafficking at any given time in the Lone Star State — with 79,000 of these estimated to be minors.

In 2019, Texas had the nation’s second-highest reported cases of human trafficking, according to further data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Participants in Thursday’s webinar may register to watch the session live. That also can request a recording by emailing Texas Restaurant Association Advocacy Manager Erica Valdriz directly at evaldriz@txrestaurant.org.

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This article appears in Jan 10-23, 2024.