MINNEAPOLIS, July 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jefferson Lines announces its participation in a global research collaboration spearheaded by United Against Slavery to fight human trafficking via the 2021 National Outreach Survey for Transportation (NOST). Over 100 contributors including 59 oversight agencies from Canada, Brazil, the Netherlands, and the USA will analyze frontline data from the aviation, maritime, pipeline, railroad, roadway, and public transit agencies in an effort to craft policies and solutions to disrupt this criminal activity and ultimately make it difficult, unattractive and unprofitable.
In 2020, United Against Slavery (UAS) became the first-ever recipient of the USDOT “Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award.” Christi Wigle, Co-Founder and CEO stated, “The National Outreach Survey for Transportation project will launch July 5, 2021 and be open to our collaboration partners for sixty days. The survey tool is designed to collect frontline data on all types of human trafficking to inform research, programming, evaluation, and other functions of the counter-trafficking community. The aggregate findings and data analysis will be completed and disseminated by April 2022 and will guide the collaboration team in crafting global solutions that can help save lives. Our collaborative data collection efforts at United Against Slavery is to help victims be freed from enslavement and to empower survivors with the resources needed in their healing journeys.”
In recognition of the critical position that members of the bus industry can assume in recognizing and interrupting potential instances of human trafficking, Jefferson Lines has partnered with Busing on the Lookout (BOTL) to train 100% of its employees to act as eyes and ears on the ground to detect and report signs of this pervasive crime. As a result of this training, Jefferson employees have played a role in referring signs of human trafficking to law enforcement since 2017, resulting in multiple victims being freed.
Jefferson Lines President and CEO, Steve Woelfel, states, “Jefferson Lines provides service to more than 170 communities throughout America’s Heartland. Through the training and attention of our company’s employees, we have an opportunity to make a positive difference in combatting human trafficking which affects so many of the communities we serve. As a leader in the motorcoach industry, Jefferson is happy to support this important initiative.”
To learn more about United Against Slavery and the NOST project, visit http://www.unitedagainstslavery.org/ or contact UAS at research@unitedagainstslavery.org.
About Jefferson Lines:
Jefferson Lines has been in the business of safe, reliable, convenient, and affordable motorcoach transportation since 1919. Our 14-state network of scheduled service spans the Midwest and beyond with connections to over 3,000 locations throughout the US. Our charters offer the cleanest and newest fleet in the industry for private group travel in Minneapolis, MN and Billings, MT. Our enduring legacy of quality, integrity, and commitment to the passenger experience is what has made us Your #1 Bus Experience for 100 years and counting. Jefferson Lines credits its success to the incredible team that helps us carry out our mission every day. We remain a family-owned business headquartered in our hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota. To learn more about our organization, purchase a ticket, or apply to one of our open positions, visit our website at JeffersonLines.com or contact us at (858) 800-8898.