Press Release
NBWA also recognizes the month of January as National Human Trafficking Prevention Month and recommits to fighting human trafficking through the Distributors Against Human Trafficking initiative
NBWA Recognizes January 11 as National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness
Media contact: Erin Donar | EDonar@nbwa.org | 703-229-3702
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Today, in recognition of the National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness, the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) is re-dedicating itself to combating human trafficking throughout communities across the country. January is also National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, which makes this an important time to reflect on this horrific and pervasive crime in the United States. Since the 2020 launch of the Distributors Against Human Trafficking initiative, NBWA and its partners have been driving awareness and mobilizing distributors to fight human trafficking by educating beer distribution employees on recognizing and reporting its signs.
“We are incredibly proud of the growth of Distributors Against Human Trafficking since its launch,” said NBWA President and CEO Craig Purser. “With the investment and dedication of distributors across the country, we’ve been able to train thousands of employees to recognize the signs of human trafficking on their daily routes, strengthening the forces working relentlessly against this criminal industry. Every community is vulnerable to the horrors of human trafficking. The hardworking beer distribution employees who visit hundreds of licensed retail locations each week, are now prepared to be an extra set of eyes and ears on the ground in the fight against human trafficking.”
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.
Since the start of the initiative in July 2020, the campaign has successfully trained more than 26,600 beer distribution employees with 219 companies participating. 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. They are uniquely positioned to combat this heinous crime, given their access to locations often unseen by the public.
Through the Distributors Against Human Trafficking initiative, NBWA hopes to continually serve as a valuable resource in the fight against human trafficking.
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.