BATON ROUGE, La. – Governor John Bel Edwards has joined a host of national and state leaders to declare January as Human Trafficking Prevention Month in Louisiana. Human Trafficking has a global impact affecting the lives of more than 28 million victims around the world.

“Louisiana has taken a bold stand against this crime, and over the last several years we’ve seen tremendous impact from our efforts that are now being recognized nationally and internationally,” said Gov. Edwards. “That’s thanks to a wide array of partners including state lawmakers, law enforcement community and faith organizations. I also could not be more proud of my wife, Donna, for her leadership with hundreds of partners statewide. Donna has established a national coalition of first spouses focused on this issue, and last year, they held their first in-person public awareness campaign event in New Orleans during the NCAA Men’s Final Four Championship tournament. That was in addition to the numerous virtual global summits she has held over the past few years to shine a light on this issue. Those summits have collectively convened over two thousand international, national, and state leaders and professionals in the field.  She has engaged and inspired several first spouses from other states to join her in using their platforms to address the issue and raise awareness.”  

“I thank God every day for the opportunity to be in this role and to be able to use my platform to educate those around me about human trafficking and what we can all do to help survivors regain control of their lives,” said First Lady Donna Edwards. “We can never underestimate the power of being a voice for the many survivors across this state and country.”

This month, the Office of First Lady Donna Edwards, the Office of Human Trafficking (HT) Prevention and several key stakeholders have joined together to recognize HT Prevention month. On January 11, 2023, state leaders and professionals all over the state will participate in #WearBlueDay. First Lady Edwards and other international, national, and state leaders will convene at the annual Mid-South Summit which will be held at L’Auberge Casino in Baton Rouge. Additionally, the Governor’s Mansion, Caesars Superdome and Four Seasons Hotel in New Orleans, La will be lit blue in recognition of Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

“We’ve witnessed growing synergy in our state among leaders and professionals of all sectors stepping forward to partner with us in ending human trafficking,” said Dr. Dana Hunter, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Human Trafficking Prevention. “I want to acknowledge and thank BMF, Beuerman Miller and Fitzgerald a public relations firm, for their longstanding support and assistance in promoting Louisiana’s first statewide public awareness campaign Stop Trafficking La: Human Trafficking is R.E.A.L. Innovation and Collaboration among key partners continues to be a game changer here in our state.”