The director of Kentucky’s Center for School Safety applauds legislative efforts to bring more attention to problems associated with human trafficking. One provision pertains to schools across the Commonwealth.
House bill 524, signed into law last week by Governor Bevin, requires the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to administer a hotline number to be posted in schools. Center for School Safety Director Jon Akers says, students are increasingly breaking the so-called “code of silence”. “With kids talking about it a little bit more and more a friend might be someone who alert officials that their friend or their buddy is being groomed for something like this,” said Akers. “So, I think it’s a good thing. I really do.”
Akers’ directed the center on school safety for 17 years. He says about a year and a half ago he was made aware of the number of children groomed for human trafficking. Akers says he was taken aback by the human trafficking numbers for children from about fifth grade through high school.