First Lady Cecilia Abbott Announces New Partnership With Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission To Fight Human Trafficking
First Lady Cecilia Abbott today attended a press conference at the State Capitol in Austin where she announced a new partnership with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) to fight human trafficking. The First Lady was joined by TABC Chairman Kevin Lilly, Executive Director Bentley Nettles, State Rep. Tony Dale and TABC law enforcement officers. TABC unveiled a public service announcement featuring the First Lady and TABC officials that builds upon the statewide "Be The One" anti-human trafficking campaign.
“Across Texas, thousands of people are exploited through forced labor or the sex trade. And, as most of us go about our daily lives, these victims are hidden in plain sight,” the First Lady said. “But the people of Texas are joining together in the fight against human trafficking. Thank you to the TABC for launching this very important public awareness campaign. Working together, we will reach our goal of eradicating human trafficking from Texas.”
“I can’t think of anyone better than Mrs. Abbott to serve as the voice of this important campaign,” said TABC Chairman Kevin Lilly. “The fight against human trafficking is something all Texans should be invested in. Mrs. Abbott’s leadership and advocacy for the victims of human trafficking are an incredible resource both for TABC and for all of Texas’ law enforcement officers.”
The awareness campaign videos alert viewers to the most common warning signs of human trafficking at TABC-licensed establishments. The new video is now available for viewing on TABC’s Youtube channel, www.youtube.com/TABCChannel. For more on TABC’s campaign against human trafficking, visit: https://www.tabc.state.tx.us/enforcement/human_trafficking.asp.
The “Be The One” campaign was conceived by the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2017. Since the campaign was introduced, thousands of Texans have been educated about the dangers and warning signs of human trafficking. For more on the Attorney General’s campaign, and for further resources, visit https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/initiatives/human-trafficking.