How Uber Fights Human Trafficking

Uber driver Frank Martino from Deerfield Beach in Florida is helping fight human trafficking victims through a new Uber and law enforcement initiative. The initiative is training Uber drivers to spot the tell-tale signs of human trafficking that are highly abundant in Florida. Over 4,500 human trafficking victims were rescued in the last 10 years, which is an average of 450 a year in Florida. These are only the victims that were rescued; there is a large percentage that was not.

The new Uber initiative will teach drivers how to spot alleged human trafficking activities, these signs might include the constant ride to a specific motel with young female passengers, or when a passenger is being coerced to travel to a specific location. If an Uber driver spots a potential human trafficking case, they should step aside, not get actively involved, but record and report the case to the local law enforcement as well as notify partners in the initiative such as the human trafficking hotline.

Martino stated that “I think it’s fantastic if it works if it saves one person it’s worth it.”

Becky Dymond, owner of a safe house in Palm Beach County for sex trafficking victims, told the press that it’s a brilliant idea, and hopes that all Uber drivers will get in on the action and start to report possible cases of human trafficking.

This is a very good initiative, however I am sure that there are many “family” drivers that would feel insecure in helping law enforcement. Only due to the knowledge that their help might go public and send criminal elements after them. Sounds like a Hollywood movie script, but it can be a reality. There is need for a total anonymity reporting system for this to truly work.

Damned right its a good initiative. If Uber would let me carry a gun I would shoot those Motherf-ers and claim self defense. Best way to help these poor women is to fight for them. I think the only downside with this initiative is when some drivers are skittish and mistake an executive taking his secretary for a boner in a motel (damned cheating on his wife) or as Larry the Cable Guy would say “Get’r Done”. In this case, the poor f-er will be taken down by the cops for cheating! Haha. It might be safer for the dude to claim he was trafficking than cheating on his wife, remember Bobbit?!

Steve, you’ve been watching to many movies.