Volunteers hand out human trafficking hotline soap, missing children posters at Clearwater hotels, diners

The SOAP Project combats human trafficking

Volunteers with the anti-trafficking nonprofits Selah Freedom and The SOAP Project distributed soap with the National Human Trafficking Hotline number, and missing children posters to local motels and diners along Gulf to Bay Boulevard Tuesday. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Florida ranks third in the nation for human trafficking cases, according to data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Courtesy: The SOAP Project

In response to the startling statistic, two nonprofits teamed up Tuesday to raise awareness and bring prevention resources directly to hotels, motels and diners up and down Gulf to Bay Boulevard in Clearwater.

Human trafficking awareness

The backstory:

Volunteers with Selah Freedom and The SOAP Project (Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution) spent Tuesday morning handing out information and missing children posters. Selah Freedom, a Sarasota-based nonprofit, focuses on ending human trafficking and supporting survivors through education, outreach, housing and more.

What they're saying:

"Our goal today is to bring out bars of soap and also makeup wipes that have the National Human Trafficking Hotline on it," Misty Halsey, a law enforcement liaison and trainer for Selah Freedom, said. "Because we often know that the only time that a victim may be alone in one of these hotel rooms is in the bathroom."

Volunteers also handed out bags of hygiene products, shared lists of missing children with staff and asked managers to display missing children posters in offices and break rooms.

Halsey, who is a survivor herself, noted that many victims do not immediately recognize their own exploitation due to the psychological manipulation used by traffickers.

"They're taught that it's their choice. They're manipulated, or at times, this is better than whatever it was that they ran from or came from," Halsey said. "So, we're out here to just let them know without law enforcement that there is help and support available to them and to share those resources."

What's next:

Selah Freedom conducts similar outreach events multiple times a month across the region, with two additional outreach days scheduled in Pinellas County this month.

If you or someone you know needs help, the National Human Trafficking Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-888-373-7888, or by texting "HELP" or "INFO" to 233733.