One of many human trafficking awareness ads is displayed on a digital billboard along North Ironwood Drive near Edison Road in South Bend. The billboard is one of 35 in Indiana displaying ads as part of an anti-human trafficking ad campaign. SBT Photo/SANTIAGO FLORES
Slavery may be an antique idea to some, but it’s a problem that’s still all too real — even here in Indiana. A new human trafficking public awareness campaign endorsed by Attorney General Greg Zoeller hopes to change that.
“For far too long we failed to understand the reality of human trafficking,” Zoeller said, “but this is the beginning of the change.”
Announced last week, the campaign will use 35 digital billboards across the state to inform victims how they can seek help, as well as raise public awareness about the true nature of modern slavery. Digital billboards in both South Bend and Mishawaka will be displaying the ads.
Zoeller is partnering on the campaign with federal and state law enforcement, the Outdoor Advertising Association in Indiana, the Indiana Digital Billboard Alliance and nonprofits Polaris and Restore.
Polaris, named for the North Star, works to equip communities to identify, report and prevent human trafficking, and Restore works with children and young women who have been victims of sex trafficking and exploitation, according to a news release.
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