By Joshua Huff, sports editor
PINSON — The Pinson City Council convened on Thursday evening and unanimously passed a resolution to help raise awareness for human sex trafficking.
Few people realize that I-20, which is a 1,513 mile stretch of highway that runs halfway across America, from West Texas to South Carolina, has the unfortunate distinction of being America’s Human Trafficking Superhighway.
Human trafficking is a crime that forcefully exploits women, men and children. The illegal activity’s global profits exceeds $150 billion a year. Of that, nearly $13 billion per year comes from trafficking in the U.S. alone.
Lauren Spaulding, of the Anti-Human Trafficking Committee with the Junior League of Birmingham, spoke to members of the city council about raising awareness throughout Birmingham.
“Most people, including myself, before I was educated on the facts tend to think that human trafficking is something that is a problem somewhere else,” Spaulding said. “That it’s a problem overseas and internationally, but, the sad truth is that it’s a problem in our back yard. It’s a problem in our committees.”
As a result, the Anti-Human Trafficking Committee with the Junior League of Birmingham introduced proclamations to raise awareness, which several cities throughout the area have signed. The proclamation states that the cities recognize that human trafficking is a problem and there is a need to create community awareness.
Pinson now joins over 30 local municipalities that have signed on to raise human trafficking awareness.
“We certainly want to do our part to raise awareness,” Pinson Mayor Hoyt Sanders said.
In other news, the council unanimously passed a resolution to repave and grade the back and surrounding areas of the Rock School Center. The cost for the paving will be $22,000 and will be done by Campbell’s Paving Asphalt and Concrete. The cost for 300 tons of asphalt will be $48 per ton.