(KAIR)--January is proclaimed as Human Traffic Awareness Month in Jefferson County, following action of the Commission this week.

According to the unofficial minutes of the Commission's regular weekly meeting, held Monday, Mary Smith, representing Willow Domestic Violence Center, met with the County leaders, asking for the proclamation.

Smith, during her presentation, explained to the Commissioners that the Center serves three counties, Jefferson, Douglas, and Franklin; and, during the last year of 2023, those three counties incurred 50 cases of human trafficking.

After Smith read aloud the proclamation, the Commissioner's unanimously approved it, proclaiming Human Traffic Awareness Month in Jefferson County, mirroring the nationwide month dedicated to raising awareness to the problem of human trafficking.

Whitehouse.gov calls human trafficking "a threat to global security, public safety, and human dignity," with the U.S. President, every year since 2010, dedicating the month to raise awareness about human trafficking and to educate the public about how to identify and prevent the crime.