Bay Area cities are stepping up efforts to combat human trafficking ahead of Super Bowl LX

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The annual Kick-Off to Anti-Human Trafficking Month brought together leaders from multiple Bay Area counties.

“San Francisco will not look the other way. Instead, we will coordinate among law enforcement, social services and community partners, not in silos – not after the fact, but in real time,” said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.

With less than a month away from Super Bowl 60, followed by the FIFA World Cup in June, the “San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking” initiated Anti-Human Trafficking Month, focusing on these major sporting events taking place in the Bay Area.

“We are partnering with the NFL to provide a total of $200,000 in grants to help three of our Bay Area’s leading anti-trafficking nonprofits strengthen their ongoing efforts,” said Zaileen Jammohamed of the Bay Area Host Committee.

Several studies, including this one published in The Anti-Trafficking Review, show that there is little to no evidence that the Super Bowl increases sex trafficking. But nonprofits and law enforcement say the problem must be addressed regardless of whether major sporting events take place.

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“Unfortunately, these victims are being held captive and hostage without any real contact with the outside world, and are put in fear that if they speak up, harm will come to them and their families,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.

The district attorneys of San Francisco, Santa Clara and Marin County confirmed that their offices will work together across the region, emphasizing that human trafficking crosses county lines.

“We have increased the number of prosecutors and investigators fighting human tracking, and we have briefings from our federal partners in the coming weeks on what kind of criminal trends we can expect with the Super Bowl and FIFA approaching,” said Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen.

Several airports in the Bay Area are having their staff trained to detect the signs of human trafficking as more travelers are expected in the region.

“At airports, some of those warning signs could be someone who doesn’t seem to know where they are and appears disoriented. Their companion is not allowed to talk to anyone at the airport, such as TSA or the airline counter,” says Erika Keaveney, executive director of Freedom Insight.