Group raises awareness of trafficking problem ahead of World Games

Birmingham has a reputation as a major center for human trafficking, according to law enforcement and other officials.

This is true in part because the city is at the center of several major transportation routes — Interstate 20, Interstate 59 and Interstate 65.

I-20 has often been dubbed a “superhighway” for human trafficking.

Recently, a women’s group in the area with a long history of concern over trafficking and women’s issues put up a billboard on I-65 to draw attention to the problem.

The Zonta Club of Birmingham put up the billboard on I-65 at Oxmoor Road on Dec. 4, and it remained up through January.

The billboard contains the message, “See something. Say something,” meaning that citizens should report what they consider suspicious activity.

“The billboard is in response to the The World Games 2022 in Birmingham,” Bouler said.

The World Games will take place in the Birmingham area July 7-17 this year and is expected to draw about 100,000 visitors to the city from all over the world.

Club members are concerned that The World Games could cause a uptick in demand for sexual trafficking.

Vestavia Hills Police Captain Johnny Evans said human trafficking takes many forms, including sex trafficking, labor trafficking and more. For the victims, they often think that it’s normal, Evans said.

Events like The World Games help bring in a criminal element, Evans said. While there are no events slated in Vestavia, Evans said they have “beefed up” patrols to help.

Other officials have expressed a similar concern, including Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and FBI Birmingham Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr., a Vestavia resident.

“An increase in tourists seeking entertainments, including commercial sex, increases the potential risks for exploitation and human trafficking,” Woodfin said in December 2019, according to a report at Birmingham Watch.

“The most effective way to investigate human trafficking is through a collaborative, multi-agency approach with our federal, state, local and tribal partners,” Sharp said. “The FBI remains committed to working with our partners in combating this heinous crime that exploits the most vulnerable in society.”

The Zonta Club of Birmingham was started in 1940 by professional women who were not allowed to join the then male-only Kiwanis and Rotary clubs. The goal is to empower women through service and advocacy.

Zonta of Birmingham has long been aware of human trafficking because it is a major issue with Zonta International, Bouler said.

The international organization has chapters in 63 countries and works with the United Nations to provide financial support and technical assistance to women and children in developing countries.

The local club has about 35 members and taken on the issue of human trafficking in the past, sponsoring programs, speakers and posters in restaurant restrooms, Bouler said.

For several years, the club has funded billboards in Birmingham with the message, “Say No to Violence Against Women.”  “We also support the YWCA women’s shelter and are hopeful that the billboard message helps,” Bouler said.

For more information, go to the website at zontabirmingham.org, Facebook or Twitter.

– Neal Embry also contributed to this story.