This week, law enforcement jurisdictions, companies with trucks and motor coaches, and transportation safety organizations in the U.S. will conduct human trafficking awareness and outreach activities and submit data about those activities to the Alliance. CVSA will gather and analyze the data and report the results this summer.
All are in partnership with the Commerical Vehicle Safety Administration.
Leading up to this week’s initiative, CVSA educated its membership and the public on human trafficking through webinars, social media, articles, training sessions, radio appearances and online resources. The Alliance and TAT (formerly Truckers Against Trafficking) have been distributing wallet cards, posters and window decals, which may be ordered at any time.
There is also nationwide digital media campaign underway with videos featuring a human trafficking survivor, truck driver and commercial motor vehicle enforcement officer. The videos are available in 30-second and five-minute versions, along with a Spanish-language version. The videos are publicly available for download to be shared.
According to the U.S. Department of State’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report, “trafficking in persons” and/or “human trafficking” refer to the crime whereby traffickers exploit and profit at the expense of adults or children by compelling them to perform labor or engage in commercial sex.
States’ agencies including the Arkansas State Police (ASP) and the Indiana State Police (ISP) are partnering with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) for CVSA’s Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative January 12 – 16, 2026.
Both agencies issued press releases outlining their parts in the initiative.
ISP’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement division will have conversations with the CMV drivers they encounter during CMV Roadside Inspections. They will also pass out materials from TAT (Formerly Truckers Against Trafficking). CVSA’s Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative will be conducted across North America: US January 12-16, 2026, Canada February 23-27, 2026, and Mexico March 16-20, 2026.
According to the United Nations, human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of people through force, fraud, or deception with the aim of exploiting them for profit.
“Commercial motor vehicle drivers are the eyes and ears of America, and very often they are in places where human trafficking may occur,” ISP’s release stated. “In the truck stop parking lots, rest area parking lots, or in commercial locations that could be using labor trafficking victims as part of their work force. Over 40% of Human Trafficking cases reported by truck drivers have involved victims that were minors.”
The Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative is part of CVSA’s Human Trafficking Prevention Program. The program seeks to reduce human trafficking throughout North America through coordinated enforcement and investigative and educational awareness measures within the commercial motor vehicle industry.
CVSA and the Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division collaborate with TAT (formerly Truckers Against Trafficking)( https://tatnonprofit.org/ ) to engage and equip the commercial vehicle industry in the fight against human trafficking. Almost 2.5 million professionals in the trucking industry have been trained TAT.
“We are confronting human trafficking head-on in Arkansas,” said Col. Mike Hagar, Arkansas Secretary of Public Safety and Director of the Arkansas State Police (ASP). “Through the dedicated work of law enforcement and the strong support of our victim service partners, we have made real progress—rescuing victims, holding offenders accountable, and strengthening our response statewide. This fight requires teamwork, and together we remain committed to protecting the vulnerable and ending human trafficking in our communities.”
In recognition of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the Arkansas State Police (ASP) is reaffirming its commitment to protecting victims, strengthening investigations, and enhancing statewide collaboration to combat all forms of human trafficking.
In 2025, the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council (AHTC), in partnership with other agencies, conducted two victim-centered human trafficking operations in Fort Smith and West Memphis.
During these operations, multidisciplinary teams contacted 21 adults and immediately offered access to medical care, advocacy services, and needs assessments. Investigators and victim specialists identified 61 additional trafficking victims, bringing the total number of identified victims from the operations to 82.
The council received 110 human trafficking reports, while the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline received 72 trafficking reports and 354 reports of sexual exploitation. These reports underscore the continued threat trafficking poses to vulnerable Arkansans, particularly youth.
“From day one of this administration, protecting children and combating human trafficking have been our priority,” said Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “Prevention begins with awareness, training, and early intervention, which is why I signed an executive order to establish the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council and put victims first at every step. I’m grateful to the Arkansas State Police for their tireless work this year to recover missing children, protect the most vulnerable, and hold traffickers accountable.”
AHTC continues to operate as an enhanced collaborative model, jointly led by the Arkansas State Police, Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, and the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS), to implement survivor-centered policy, investigative coordination, and statewide training initiatives.
“It’s easy to think of human trafficking as something that only happens in big cities or in other countries,” said Attorney General Tim Griffin. “But human trafficking impacts communities large and small, all over the world, including here in Arkansas. My office’s investigations into illicit massage businesses in the past year has shown that human trafficking is taking place in large and small communities all across our state. We must all remain vigilant and learn to recognize signs of human trafficking. If you see something, say something.”
Arkansas DHS Secretary Janet Mann added, “We are committed to rooting out human trafficking in our state, to protecting would-be victims, and to bringing the perpetrators to justice. We are grateful for the leadership and partnership from Governor Sanders, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Arkansas State Police as we work together to prevent and investigate trafficking in our state, and we encourage all Arkansans to report any suspicious activity and help us put a stop to this despicable crime.”
Through its Law Enforcement Committee, the council launched a new Missing Child Committee and delivered training to more than 3,000 community members, investigators, advocates, and partner agencies statewide — strengthening Arkansas’s ability to identify victims, report safely, and respond effectively.
ASP will also highlight the continued success of VALOR (Victory through Advocacy, Law Enforcement, Outreach, and Recovery), a bi-weekly, multidisciplinary working group embedded within the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council Law Enforcement Committee. VALOR brings together state and local law enforcement, prosecutors, child-welfare professionals, advocacy organizations, and federal partners to rapidly identify, locate, and recover missing children, while ensuring immediate access to trauma-informed victim services to reduce the risk of re-victimization and exploitation.
In 2025, VALOR assisted in the recovery of 204 missing children, a dramatic increase from the 82 recoveries documented in 2024. As of January 1, 2026, there are 103 active missing-child cases involving individuals under 18 in Arkansas, including:
– 45 females
– 59 males
Age at time of report:
– 10 were 12 years old or younger
– 14 were between ages 13–15
– 27 were between ages 16–17
– 33 are now 18 or older
“Human trafficking remains one of the most complex and urgent threats facing our state,” said Sergeant Foster. “Our mission is simple — protect victims, strengthen investigations, and ensure every missing or exploited child has the support, advocacy, and resources they need the moment they are found.”
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
