Photo by Jesse Chambers
bham city hall_linn park 8-7-18
The north entrance to Birmingham City Hall.
The Birmingham City Council — at its regular meeting for Tuesday, Dec. 10 — gave notice of its desire to help fight human trafficking in the area.
Members voted 8-0 to pass a resolution that declares their intent to fight “the commercial sexual exploitation of children and vulnerable adults” and to mitigate “public safety, economic and health risks” in the community associated with trafficking.
The resolution was submitted and recommended by Councilor Crystal Smitherman. “This is about Birmingham saying no to this modern day form of slavery,” she said.
“The city of Birmingham is committed to becoming a trafficking-free zone,” said Mayor Randall Woodfin, who read the text of the resolution to the Council.
The passage of the resolution makes Birmingham the largest Trafficking Free Zone (TFZ) in the country by population, according to a city news release.
The city is working with the Child Trafficking Solutions Project, the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking and other anti-human trafficking organizations, according to the text of the resolution.
The resolution also asks that city residents “join in promoting a shift away from the culture of tolerance toward human trafficking.”
Public education about the extent of the problem is needed, according to Woodfin, who said that many residents are unaware of the trafficking that takes place in their communities.
The mayor also praised Smitherman, saying that she is “passionate about this issue” and also has “put feet on the ground” to help bring the city into the fight against trafficking.
The sex trade is a serious problem in the Birmingham area, according to Smitherman, who told the Council that the 140-mile stretch of I-20 between Birmingham and Atlanta has been dubbed the “sex trafficking super highway.”
In fact, that section of I-20 is “the most heavily trafficked stretch of interstate in U.S.,” Smitherman said, citing an official at the Department of Homeland Security
She noted that it is not just women and children who are trafficked, but males. “The male victims even outnumber female victims in some subcategories of sex trafficking,” she said.
The resolution “is only the first step” in the city’s efforts to fight trafficking, Smitherman said.
She promised to “continue to spearhead” ordinances and other initiatives and to work with numerous other partners, including Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr. “You will see us in action in 2020 and 2021,” she said.
The program is managed at the local level by the Child Trafficking Solutions Project, a coalition of local and state leaders aiming to curb human trafficking in Jefferson County in preparation for the World Games, coming to Birmingham in 2021.
