Hartsfield-Jackson Turns Blue to Shine a Light on the Darkness of Human Trafficking
At midnight, 1800 LED lights on Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport's (ATL) North Canopy turned blue and burn brightly to commemorate National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. The blue lights symbolize ATL's commitment to stamping out sexual exploitation and other forms of Human Trafficking.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security started the Blue Campaign as a unified effort to combat Human Trafficking, as the color blue is universally recognized for Human Trafficking prevention. The lights will remain blue all-day Friday, January 11, in observance of the day.
As a major transportation hub, ATL serves more than 250,000 passengers each day, making it a magnet for human traffickers.
Later this month, ATL will also host its first-ever Human Trafficking Summit.
"As the busiest and most efficient airport in the world, Hartsfield-Jackson continues to espouse the three e's in the fight against Human Trafficking," said Jan Lennon, director of Security for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. "The three e's refer to educating globally, executing a movement and eliminating the demand. The focus of the ATL summit on Human Trafficking will help us do all of those things."
The summit will take place on January 29 at the Georgia International Convention Center.
January 11 became Human Trafficking Awareness Day in 2007, and in 2010 the Obama administration issued a proclamation naming January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
