Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier met with community leaders and law enforcement partners in South Florida to reinforce joint prevention efforts against human trafficking. The proactive surge comes as Miami anticipates a heightened risk of trafficking activity while hosting six upcoming FIFA World Cup matches and several other large-scale global events.

Joint Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking

“We are taking a proactive approach and joining forces across government and private industry to combat human trafficking,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier during a recent roundtable discussion. “Large-scale global events bring an increase in trafficking activity and crimes of exploitation, which is why we are standing together to get ahead of the bad guys. With six more World Cup matches in Miami, South Florida will see record-breaking tourism, but we will not let that devolve into record-breaking crime.”

The roundtable brought together local, state, and federal entities to coordinate intelligence sharing, public awareness strategies, and immediate intervention tactics. Law enforcement officials emphasized that the region will maintain a zero-tolerance environment for exploiters during the games.

Community Involvement

Educational and corporate sectors are also integrating into the defense strategy to act as secondary eyes and ears on the ground. Florida International University President Jeanette Nuñez stated that the university remains “at the forefront of educating and empowering students to protect themselves and others from the dangers of human trafficking.”

Transportation networks are also adjusting protocols for the high-volume summer travel season. Uber has partnered with the international advocacy group “It’s a Penalty” to distribute critical awareness materials to its network.

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.