Release Date: July 22, 2010

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

Fact Sheet: DHS Blue Campaign

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today launched the “Blue Campaign”—a DHS-wide initiative to combat human trafficking through enhanced public awareness, victim assistance programs, and law enforcement training and initiatives.

“The battle against human trafficking is a shared responsibility involving the Department’s federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners, non-profit and non-governmental organizations, governments around the world and communities across the nation,” said Secretary Napolitano. “With the Blue Campaign, we seek to shine a light on a crime that thrives in the shadows, bring traffickers to justice, and assist victims in communities across the nation.”

The Blue Campaign was officially launched today by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Deputy Director Ken Keene and Alice Hill, Senior Counselor to Secretary Napolitano—underscoring the unified effort to prevent human trafficking, assist victims and hold traffickers accountable by bringing together the Department’s diverse resources and expertise under one initiative.

To help citizens learn to identify and properly report indicators of human trafficking, the Department is launching public outreach tools that include social media, multilingual public awareness campaigns, and a new, comprehensive one-stop website for the Department’s efforts to combat human trafficking at www.dhs.gov/humantrafficking.

The Blue Campaign also features new training initiatives for law enforcement and DHS personnel, enhanced victim assistance efforts, and the creation of new partnerships and interagency collaboration—including the deployment of additional victim assistance specialists and specialized training for law enforcement personnel.

The Blue Campaign’s name and symbol were chosen by the Department to evoke the “thin blue line” of law enforcement, as well as the global anti-human trafficking symbols the Blue Blindfold, produced by the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Center, and the Blue Heart, developed by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, to help raise international awareness about this issue.

A fact sheet detailing the numerous aspects of the campaign across the Department is available here. For more information, visit www.dhs.gov/humantrafficking.

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Legislation that will help end the sex trafficking of minors within the United States will be considered by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee this Thursday, August 5, and your voice is needed to ensure that it moves forward!

Sex trafficking of minors is a serious problem throughout the United States, with at least 100,000 children - at an average age of just 13 years old - prostituted within the United States each year! The vast majority of these children have suffered previous sexual or physical abuse, live in poverty, or have no stable home or family life, making them especially vulnerable to traffickers who seek to exploit them for profit.   

Fighting this crime and rescuing its victims requires specialized resources, including law enforcement training, social services, and treatment for its victims.  Therefore, Senator Ron Wyden (OR) has introduced S. 2925 the "Trafficking Deterrence and Support Act."  This critical legislation would provide grants to state and local governments who work with social service agencies to train law enforcement, increase investigations, and provide shelter and services to victims.

Please take a moment to reach out to your two U.S. Senators and urge them to strongly support S. 2925! If one of your senators is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, your call is even more critical!  Just 30 seconds of your time can make an incredible difference!