North Texas restaurants are banding together to help fight a silent battle.
They're quietly reaching out to victims of human trafficking, letting them know there's help.
The movement began from a moment in a local fast-food restaurant months ago.
Chris Aslam, who runs dozens of franchised Jack In The Box locations, said a woman came into the restaurant looking for a trafficking victim who was supposed to meet authorities nearby. The woman apparently ran off before authorities arrived.
“She was canvassing the neighborhood to try to help this young girl,” Aslam explained.
He said the woman asked to check the bathroom because it's a place victims frequently find refuge from their captors.
It sparked an idea.
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Tuesday, Aslam, who is also the president-elect of the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association, helped launch a new anti-trafficking program.
Participating restaurants will place placards in restrooms directing victims on how they can get help.
“The response has been enormous so far,” said Aslam.
Aslam said dozens of restaurants in North Texas have already agreed.
He hopes to expand the program statewide. The placards are free. Click here to request one.
