Texas law will now require all drivers of Transportation Network Companies (TNC) to receive training on how to spot human trafficking.
House Bill 2313 was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) last spring and will take effect Sep. 1.
“We recognize that Uber drivers can serve as the eyes and ears of their communities, interacting with passengers from all walks of life. By providing drivers with the knowledge and tools they need, we hope they can play a small role in helping to identify and prevent this horrible crime,” said Harry Hartfield, director of Public Affairs for Uber in Texas.
The bill comes after several reports of TNC drivers transporting human trafficking victims unknowingly in the course of the victims' trafficking. Traffickers use what is easy, like ride-share services, to transport their victims according to Dr. Bob Sanborn, president and CEO of CHILDREN AT RISK.
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CHILDREN AT RISK, a Texas-based research and advocacy nonprofit, worked with the Texas legislator, Representative Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston), Senator Angela Paxton (R-McKinney) and ride-share providers to pass this bill. One of the reasons Dr. Sanborn thinks Texas should lead the nation in the fight against human trafficking is because Texas is a hub for the issue.
"People think this is a problem on the border or this is a problem you know just on the seedy side of town," said Dr. Sanbron. "But when we create maps of trafficking in our area in Dallas, what we see is it's on the money part, it's in the north, it's in the west and its parts of town people don't think of as areas where there's trafficking."
Training will be provided annually via video and is required to be completed before a driver can be approved to drive. The training will include material on the experience of human trafficking victims, how and why human trafficking takes place in the transportation industry and more.
Alerts drivers may hear include:
- Requesting to be dropped off at hidden entrances,
- Insisting on cash payments
- Coaching someone on how to lie
- Asking for money or ID
- Verbal abuse
- Discussing job opportunities
Signs drivers will be told to look for include:
- Emotional abuse and distress
- Physical abuse and signs of branding
- Exerting power over the potential victim
- Travel and transit considerations
- Kids at unsafe locations
- Multiple phones and excessive cash
- Unsafe work environment
"The idea is to train the drivers so that drivers can be a first line of defense when they identify potential trafficking victims, especially child trafficking victims," said Dr. Sanborn.
