New global online resource center launches to support the fight against human trafficking

• Thomson Reuters, the City of Houston and the Mayor’s Office of Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence form partnership to facilitate new municipal campaigns to prevent and detect trafficking, and support victims in cities and communities across the U.S.
• Anti-trafficking toolkits can save city authorities years of planning, enabling them to swiftly implement campaigns
• City of Houston’s anti-trafficking resources have already been leveraged by 18 cities and 11 nations

Toronto, October 24, 2023 – Thomson Reuters (NYSE/TSX: TRI), a global content and technology company, and the City of Houston today announced a partnership to launch a new global online resource center to combat human trafficking. Thomson Reuters will take stewardship of the City of Houston’s world-class anti-trafficking toolkits and make them readily accessible online to cities and other public authorities. Through these step-by-step guides, municipal authorities can quickly mobilise anti-trafficking campaigns which may otherwise take years of planning, as well as saving them money and other public resources.

An increase in the numbers of individuals at risk, stretched public resources and more sophisticated criminal networks have contributed to a rise in human trafficking, which has a tragic impact on communities across the U.S. and internationally. In 2022 there were an estimated 19,000 reports of child sex trafficking in the U.S made to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children[1].

Public awareness campaigns play a critical role in tackling human trafficking and the City of Houston’s campaigns are recognized as models of best practice. Under the leadership of Mayor Sylvester Turner, the Mayor’s Office of Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence documented their approach to creating anti-trafficking campaigns. Through these insights they developed a suite of tools and resources for local, national and international organizations and agencies to launch anti-trafficking responses that can be readily contextualized to any community. This helps to create a network of cities running anti-trafficking campaigns, driving a year-round response to help meet the challenges that trafficking poses.  

The new Thomson Reuters global online human trafficking resource center will house the toolkits online, with a commitment to keeping the materials up to date and making additional resources available. There are a total of nine toolkits, and the first available on the resource center are:

• Large scale public events toolkit: Large scale sporting events are typical heat moments for trafficking due to the influx of visitors and temporary workers. The topics of the tools range from how to vet volunteers, to how to engage sectors including restaurants and transport companies to help spot victims.
• Watch for Traffick Media Campaign toolkit: Public awareness and education is key in helping to spot trafficking. The tools include guidance on how authorities can raise awareness about human trafficking through ready-made advertising for television, radio, billboards, bus, and taxis.
• Anti-luring Social Media Awareness campaign toolkit: This toolkit has 24 plug-and-play social media posts targeted to youth ages 13-22 and caregivers ages 35-55.

Upcoming toolkits include how to manage trafficking risks during emergency disasters and tackling trafficking in illicit massage businesses. The toolkits will be available online at: https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en/institute/human-trafficking-toolkits.html

Commenting on the partnership, Mayor Turner said “Over the last eight years, our efforts have focused on ensuring that the locally accomplished mitigating work was shared nationally and globally through immersion programs that welcomed US municipalities and foreign governments to Houston, as well as international forums where we were invited to showcase our model. Because of these strategic actions, we successfully replicated aspects of this model in 18 US cities and 11 nations.  I am confident that the impactful work and anti-trafficking legacy will continue.”

“We are proud to continue the legacy of Mayor Turner where, under his leadership, the City of Houston became a model for mobilizing municipalities to counter human trafficking” said Heather Fischer, Senior Advisor for Human Rights Crimes at Thomson Reuters.

She added, “We are committed to continuing to expand the eco-system of information, technology and subject matter expertise we offer to support efforts to identify human trafficking networks, facilitate prosecution, and help victims and survivors”.

Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters (NYSE/TSX: TRI) (“TR”) informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. The company serves professionals across legal, tax, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Its products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth, and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is a world leading provider of trusted journalism and news. For more information, visit tr.com.

City of Houston

The Mayor’s Office of Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence, led by Minal Patel Davis, is the first municipal-level office of its kind in the United States focused on local policy-driven efforts against human trafficking and domestic violence.  Our office believes in reflective governance and works in collaboration with a broad array of stakeholders and public private partnerships to pursue additional avenues for economic security, gender equity dialogues, addressing service deserts and shifting cultural attitudes to end human trafficking and domestic violence. 

[1] National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 2022 data

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Samina Ansari
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Samina.ansari@thomsonreuters.com