Posted on August 2, 2023
On Friday, July 28, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that Port of Seattle Commission President Sam Cho has been appointed by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to the department’s Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking (ACHT). This appointment elevates the Port of Seattle’s efforts to the national level.
The 15-member ACHT is chartered to create a triennial counter-trafficking report with recommendations for countering human trafficking. In addition to Commission President Cho, the committee includes a cross section of stakeholders from both industry and labor, with representatives from the aviation, bus, law enforcement, maritime, port, rail, and trucking sectors.
“The Port of Seattle is committed to being a national leader in anti–human trafficking efforts in both our own facilities and across the United States,” said Commission President Cho. “Human trafficking is an insidious practice, systematically robbing victims of their freedom, subjecting them to unspeakable forms of abuse, and devaluing our shared human dignity. I’m honored by this appointment and would like to thank Secretary Buttigieg for prioritizing this issue and the opportunity to continue to elevate this work on the national stage.”
This appointment comes as the Port of Seattle continues work with its partners in both maritime and aviation sectors to increase awareness of the signs of trafficking, how to report it, and the best ways to prevent and stop trafficking through its facilities.
In January, National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the Port announced its Port Allies Against Human Trafficking (PAAHT) Pledge and called on its partners and tenants to join the Port in educating their employees on signs of trafficking and how to report it. Those that join the pledge receive anti–human trafficking trainings in multiple accessible formats that were developed in partnership with community-based organizations and survivors of trafficking.
In addition to the trainings, the Port of Seattle posted 310 signs in the restrooms and passenger loading bridges at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), as well as 20 signs at Port of Seattle parks and 10 signs at Fisherman’s Terminal on how to report suspected trafficking. The signage is translated into eight languages beyond English: Spanish, Tagalog, Korean, Chinese, Somali, Russian, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
The Port was also the recipient of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2022 Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award. This honor will provide $50,000 in funding for SEA to work with other airports around the country to develop standardized anti-trafficking messaging.
