(LEX 18) — Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams spoke at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce national panel on Monday, highlighting the state's efforts to combat human trafficking through business partnerships.
Adams discussed Kentucky Businesses Against Trafficking, which was launched about six months ago to better train businesses on identifying and reporting signs of human trafficking.
"In 2024, we saw about a 13% increase in reporting of human trafficking. That's not a bad thing. That doesn't mean that, suddenly, there's more human trafficking. What it means is we're becoming more familiar with it, we're seeing signs of it, and we're reporting it," Adams said.
During the panel, Adams highlighted the importance of getting more customer-facing businesses to participate.
"If you're a victim of human trafficking and you run into a convenience store to get a pack of cigarettes or you stop at the gas station to fill up or you go to a hotel or what-have-you, there are people there - employees there - who can be trained to spot and report what they see that's evidence of human trafficking," Adams said.
While the KBAT program is still growing, Adams encourages businesses to utilize the resources available on the program's website, emphasizing that individuals can make a real difference.
"We all feel so overwhelmed today. We're suffering compassion fatigue. We feel so powerless to stop the bad things that are happening in the world, and we see them all day, every day, on our phones. This is one of those few things that you can tangibly help with. There are some things that are outside our control, but this is something that you can, in just a few minutes, go to our website and learn things to look for and if you see them in your community, you can call us or call the attorney general and report these things and you can save someone's life from horrible human slavery," Adams said.
