FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Contact: ACF Press Office
(202) 401-9215
Public Relations Society of America Silver Anvil Awarded to
HHS
Awareness Campaign on Human Trafficking
HHS’ Administration for Children and Families has been honored with a Silver Anvil award for its campaign to rescue and restore victims of human trafficking.
“This award recognizes the success of our effort to rescue and restore victims of a modern-day form of slavery,” said Dr. Wade F. Horn, HHS assistant secretary for children and families. “Since the start of this campaign, hundreds of victims have been identified and made eligible for benefits and services they need to restore their lives.”
The campaign, entitled “Look Beneath the Surface: Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking,” began in April 2004 under a contract with Ketchum, Inc., along with Capital City Partners. Its goal is to identify victims of human trafficking across America and restore victims to safety.
The Silver Anvil, awarded by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), is one of the most respected awards in the public relations industry. It symbolizes the forging of public opinion through public relations and is given to programs that incorporate sound research, planning, execution and evaluation into public relations initiatives.
“The Public Relations Society of America is pleased to recognize the campaign to restore victims of human trafficking with this award,” said Catherine A. Bolton, executive director and chief operating officer of PRSA. “This campaign meets the highest standards of performance in the profession.”
Approximately 78 million media impressions have been created by the project so far and over 500 community organizations nationwide have become active in the effort. In the year the campaign has been active, the number of victims identified has doubled over the preceding year.
The campaign’s informational and referral hotline is 1-888-3737-888. As of April 30, the hotline received 2,150 calls, resulting in more than 500 referrals of potential victims to local service providers and 100 tips forwarded to federal law enforcement.
For more information about the campaign to rescue and restore victims of human trafficking, go to: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/index.html.
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news