Nikki Clifton: 3 ways businesses can fight sex trafficking
Nikki Clifton represents UPS's interests before Members of US Congress, federal agencies and the states’ Attorneys General. Full bio
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legal official in the state of Georgia:
basketball tournament.
could help sponsor billboards
trafficking campaign.
because sex trafficking spikes
and with conventions.
would help to raise awareness.
was to politely decline.
corporate America could get involved in.
left for someone else.
how big the problem really is.
in my company's home town.
that the birthplace of my children
for sex trafficking in the US.
Atlanta's illegal sex trade
290 million dollars a year.
illegal gun and drug trade combined.
and we helped with the billboards.
like it wasn't enough.
needed to do more.
would turn from curiosity:
to do something about that."
every prostitute is a victim, are you?
what they're getting into?"
why people are confused.
the people that I'm talking about
under federal law, for adults.
force, fraud or coercion is used.
gender or socioeconomic barrier.
that I met in Washington, DC.
from the time she was 14 until she was 16.
of the foster care system.
up to five times a day.
the term "human trafficking;"
a part of her life as a foster care kid.
in affluent areas and gated communities.
into sex trafficking situations
contracts, cell phones.
right off the street.
200,000 to 300,000 girls and boys
for commercial sex trafficking every year.
Labor Organization
one million children a year
for raising awareness generally,
to put an end to this problem.
serious about sex trafficking,
out of modern-day slavery.
sex trafficking in the US,
and target demand.
is in the perfect position
that starts with the customer.
the customer is referred to as a John.
for sex trafficking.
to put a dent in sex trafficking,
while he's at work.
Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking,
employed at local businesses.
when they are traveling for business,
that web-based sex buying
buying sex in the middle of the workday.
Johns in the middle of the workday
in three simple ways.
sex-buying during work,
has to specifically give an example
while you're traveling,
because that's where it's happening.
as its enforcement and its communication.
is public humiliation and embarrassment.
or company resources,
or sweep it under the rug
of the best ways to start.
in simply training their workforce
of human trafficking.
our company could make a big difference.
airports and truck stops
as modern-day slave routes.
to train them to see the red flags.
and doing things on their own,
a phone number, the hotline,
called Truckers Against Trafficking.
had web-based support and materials
to spot the red flags.
about girls at nearby exits.
emerging from vehicles
they had seen these women,
looking for customers.
enough to make a call.
Truckers Against Trafficking --
for men to talk to other men
and not buying commercial sex.
proudly proclaiming why they don't buy.
a cultural shift in this atrocity,
fueling demand.
who are enslaved.
that businesses can help.
that they can bring
and American Express
from backpage.com,
that sold commercial sex
million dollars a month.
and affiliated websites were shut down,
that any company can help.
that works with companies
called Hire Hope.
we know that it works.
their flight attendants
through a program called SkyWish,
escape their traffickers
that businesses can do.
what to do to join the fight.
of the greatest civil rights atrocities
is uniquely positioned
to learn the red flags?
at the signs that are all around you
for calling law enforcement
that doesn't sit right.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Nikki Clifton - Attorney, government affairs professionalNikki Clifton represents UPS's interests before Members of US Congress, federal agencies and the states’ Attorneys General.
Why you should listen
Nicole ("Nikki") Clifton is an attorney and government affairs professional with broad advocacy experience on Capitol Hill and in federal and state courts. Her expertise includes labor and workforce legislative and regulatory policy and transportation and logistics industry issues. Clifton recently spearheaded and coordinates UPS's nationwide anti-human trafficking awareness initiative, reaching more than 95,000 drivers and service providers.
Prior to government affairs, Clifton served as Labor & Employment Counsel for UPS in Atlanta, Georgia, and was in-house counsel to the UPS National Negotiating Committee during collective bargaining with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in 2007. Clifton also served as UPS's Employment Counsel, managing employment litigation and providing counseling and training in all areas of employment law.
Before UPS, Clifton worked for Delta Air Lines as Flight Operations counsel. She also practiced labor and employment law with Alston & Bird LLP and Smith, Currie and Hancock, in Atlanta, Georgia.
Clifton received her B.A. magna cum laude in Communications from Howard University's Annenberg Honors Program and received her J.D. from the University of Georgia School Of Law. She is a member of the Georgia Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Clifton was selected as a member of Leadership Atlanta's Class of 2008 and served on the Board of Visitors for the University of Georgia School of Law. Clifton was inducted into the inaugural class of national 4-H Luminaries in 2017. She co-leads a Junior Girl Scout troop and volunteers with several non-profit organizations. She resides in Washington, D.C. and has two children.
Nikki Clifton | Speaker | TED.com