DENVER — The Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking announced a day of action for Thursday to raise awareness about the 24/7 hotline the organization runs.
"The Colorado Human Trafficking Hotline is the only statewide hotline of this scale that we are aware of," Katlyn Pryshlak, the hotline and advocacy manager, said. "We are a tip and referral hotline run by a nonprofit. And what that means is people call us when they need to access resources or report potential human trafficking activity."
Pryshlak said the organization has translated cards and posters into a total of seven languages, with the hope of reaching as many people as possible. The Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking launched the day of action for the same purpose.
"We're using this moment to try and help the hotline become more of a household name in Colorado," Pryshlak said. "Because we know that the more people know about the hotline, the more people are going to be able to access it."
Pryshlak said they get about a thousand calls a year and hear from survivors with a Colorado connection daily. She said it's particularly important for people to understand the definition of human trafficking.
"Human trafficking is a severe form of exploitation for labor or commercial sex, and it is through the use of force, fraud and coercion, that traffickers are able to control their victims and make sure that they keep working," Pryshlak said. "So the trafficker can benefit financially. At its root, this is an economic crime, or motivated by financial gain."
In Colorado, that could look like sex trafficking or labor trafficking in hotels, people working in cleaning services, or in agriculture and construction.
There has been a push to train more members of the community to watch for signs of trafficking, including truck drivers, flight attendants, law enforcement and hotel employees.
"With a tip, we will pass that on to our trained and trusted law enforcement partners, which we have built up over the years. We have hundreds of partners across the state who have gone through human trafficking training. They understand the nuances of this crime, which can be very complex, and the cases can take a very long time to work through, but they are professionals who are dedicated to helping survivors seek criminal justice if that's what they want," Pryshlak said.
The ask is simple: to save the hotline number in your phone.
You can reach the 24/7 hotline by calling 866.455.5075 or texting 720.999.9724
