Missouri Attorney General expects surge in human trafficking at World Cup in KC
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- Catherine Hanaway promoted the anti‑trafficking partnership for the World Cup in KC.
- The campaign will use Simply Report to send tips to law enforcement.
- It’s a Penalty is running billboards, digital and flight ads and hotel outreach.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway touted a partnership among law enforcement, state agencies and anti-trafficking organizations during the World Cup.
At the Missouri State Highway Patrol troop headquarters in Lee’s Summit on Monday, Hanaway said she believes that the World Cup will bring more human trafficking to the state of Missouri “than we’ve ever seen.”
“Unfortunately, with these very major sporting events around the world, there come other things, and one of the things that we’re most concerned about related to this event is human trafficking,” Hanaway said.
The anti-trafficking campaign will leverage an app and online reporting system, called Simply Report, where people can send tips to law enforcement when they observe suspicious behavior. Missouri State Highway Patrol lieutenant Darron Blankenship said people should report when a child is acting differently than one would expect.
“If you see a child that’s being led around by an adult, and that child seems out of sort, doesn’t make eye contact, not asking for anything,” Blankenship said. “What seems normal in your life, and around children? And then see if it’s out of place.”
Representatives of the Missouri Department of Transportation, the hotel and lodging industry and law enforcement officials said they’ve conducted training to better identify potential victims. Anti-trafficking awareness organization It’s a Penalty is also running ads on billboards, digitally and on international flights to World Cup host cities.
Its ad features U.S. International Team’s Tim Weah, former Chelsea FC captain César Azpilicueta and Oribe Peralta, who won a gold medal for Mexico in the 2012 Olympic Games.
It’s a Penalty has worked on 24 campaigns to address human trafficking at major sporting events.
“The real impact of the campaign is not going to be the billboards, the transport messaging, the digital placements, the hotel outreach, the public service announcements. It will be whether one person recognizes exploitation and understands that help is available,” said Philippa King, deputy CEO of It’s a Penalty.
