Press Release

NBWA also recognizes the month of January as National Human Trafficking Prevention Month 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) recognizes today, January 11th as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. In honor of this important day, NBWA will continue its leadership in the work to combat human trafficking throughout communities across the country. In 2020, NBWA launched the Distributors Against Human Trafficking initiative, and in that time the association, members and its partners mobilized to fight human trafficking by educating beer distribution employees on recognizing and reporting its signs. January is also National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and NBWA plans to renew focus on fighting this pervasive and horrific crime throughout the month.

“Every community is vulnerable to the horrors of human trafficking,” said NBWA President and CEO Craig Purser. “This crime largely goes unreported, which is why beer distribution employees are uniquely positioned to help given their access to locations often unseen by the public. Beer distributors collectively visit more than 600,000 retail establishments across the country, including bars, restaurants, hotels, convenience stores, package stores, sports arenas and grocery stores. We are incredibly proud of the growth of Distributors Against Human Trafficking since its launch, and vow to continue to educate our employees, while also making connections in our communities.”

Human trafficking continues to plague communities across the United States. In 2019 alone, the Polaris Project identified 22,326 victims and survivors of human trafficking, up 20 percent from the year prior. Additionally, human trafficking disproportionately targets vulnerable populations like women and children. Over half of the active criminal human trafficking cases in the U.S. involve children.

Nearly 30,500 employees from more than 250 companies have completed the training since its launch in 2020.

Please visit visit NBWA’s Human Trafficking Awareness Center for all of the initiative’s resources.

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The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) represents America’s 3,000 independent beer distributors who service every state, congressional district and media market across the country. Licensed at the federal and state levels, beer distributors get bottles, cans, cases and kegs from a brewer or importer to stores, restaurants and other licensed retail accounts through a transparent and accountable regulatory system. Distributors build brands of all sizes – from familiar domestic beers to new startup labels and imports from around the world – and generate enormous consumer choice while supporting more than 140,000 quality jobs in their home communities. Beer distributors work locally to keep communities safe by sponsoring programs to promote responsible consumption, combat drunk driving and reduce underage drinking.