PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Port of Palm Beach recently adopted new prevention training to combat human trafficking.
They are the first seaport in Florida to adopt the Ports to Freedom training created by the nonprofit Business Ending Slavery and Trafficking.
This training comes just before the Super Bowl to give awareness to employees of possible humane trafficking situations.
"One of the things that I found when I went through that training that stood out was the fact that in the maritime industry, human trafficking is prevalent," said Rick Placeres, Port of Palm Beach security and operations manager.
"This online training will teach our port employees the indicators of human trafficking. It's going to show them what to do if they witness a possible case of human trafficking," said Port of Palm Beach spokeswoman Yaremi Farinas.
"Most importantly, they will learn the importance of asking, 'How are you?' It's a simple question that can turn a victim into a survivor," Farinas said.
"There's going to be a lot of movement with the Super Bowl. You've got people coming into the town, driving to the west coast. There's a lot of people movement so that training comes to be paramount here at the Port of Palm Beach so that they are aware, not only of their surroundings, but they're aware of the human trafficking that's potential during this time frame," Placeres said.
If you, or someone you know, is a victim of human trafficking, call 1-888-373-7888.
