By Elizabeth Troutman |

The mayor of Glendale, Arizona is urging fellow mayors to proclaim January anti-human trafficking month . 

“I was surprised to discover that only eleven cities have adopted an anti-human trafficking declaration in Arizona,” Mayor Jerry Weiers said in a news release. “As leaders in a border state, we are, or should be, fully aware that human trafficking is placing a great burden on our social service structures, but it is the plight of victims that should prompt us to act decisively.”

The United States has some of the highest rates globally for human trafficking, according to Weiers’ proclamation. More than 40 million men, women, and children are victims of human trafficking per year, according to the International Labor Organization. 

More than half of the victims in active human trafficking cases in the U.S. involved children, according to the Human Trafficking Institute’s 2019 Federal Report.

Weiers joined Glendale’s City Council in proclaiming January Anti-Human Trafficking Awareness Month at the weekly council meeting on January 12.

“We all have an obligation to protect the vulnerable from predators,” Weiers said. “As a result, as part of the proclamation we passed, I urged our residents and partners to work together to eliminate trafficking from our community and support the efforts of front-line organizations and law enforcement in their battle against human trafficking and to take a stand and say not in our city.” 

Weiers gave the proclamation to members of the Glendale Police Department and their partners in the faith and social service sectors, who are working on combating human trafficking nationwide.

 “Not one person, agency, or organization can help combat this crime alone,” Stacey Sutherland of the Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network said.

Elizabeth Troutman is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send her news tips using this link.