With its mix of education, direct assistance, and advice on how to help, OCTA’s Be the One (BT1) campaign continues to raise awareness about human trafficking. Last weekend, the BT1 campaign was recognized with a Diamond Award from the Global Center for Women and Justice, a program of Vanguard University in Costa Mesa.
The BT1 public awareness campaign alerts bus riders about the problem of sex and labor trafficking and encourages them to be the one to take action by calling a national hotline or alerting a coach operator. OCTA has trained more than 1,100 coach operators on how to spot and get help for victims.
Many residents may find it hard to believe that this form of modern-day slavery exists in Orange County. However, sex and labor trafficking is found throughout the county from the wealthiest to the poorest neighborhoods.
OCTA’s BT1 website shines a light on human trafficking and tells the stories of victims and those who have helped them, including our specially trained coach operators.
The BT1 campaign is funded under the Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP), one of seven grant programs that constitute the United States Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Infrastructure Protection Program.
