The Board of El Paso County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution In Support of Efforts to Stop Human Trafficking at Tuesday’s meeting. The resolution supports public and private efforts to rescue, renew and restore the rights of victims of these crimes and to find a long term solution to this problem.
“An estimated 25 million people worldwide are victims of this modern day form of slavery,” Commissioner Peggy Littleton stated as she read the resolution into the record. “An estimated 200,000 people are trafficked in the United States each year, and the state of Colorado is not exempt from this problem. The I-25 corridor makes El Paso County particularly susceptible to becoming an unwilling host to those people involved in the trafficking industry, and El Paso County must therefore be informed and alert.”
“It’s not just an overseas problem. It’s right here in our backyard in Colorado,” Tamra Farah said. “I wondered how in the world could I do anything about it.” Farah volunteered to chair of last week’s Human Trafficking Awareness Advocacy Day at the Colorado State Capital. The event was put on by the Human Trafficking Task Force of Southern Colorado.
Phil Steiger with Sarah’s Home said, “This resolution means we’re recognizing there is a problem here. This is another positive step toward justice for the weakest among us.” Sarah’s Home is a Christian long-term safe home for underage girls who have been rescued from the forced commercial sex trade.
