Polaris Project and Clear Channel Outdoor Launch Anti-Human Trafficking Campaign on Billboards in New York and New Jersey
Human Trafficking Problem Spotlighted in Number One Media Market as 500,000 Football Fans Descend on the Region
New York, NY – January 28, 2014 – Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO) and Polaris Project today announced a new campaign designed to shine a spotlight on the serious issue of human trafficking. Human trafficking is modern-day slavery where profits are derived from the organized control and exploitation of women, children and men for various purposes including labor and sex acts. Launching today on strategically located billboards in New York and New Jersey, the campaign educates the public on the true scale and diverse victims of human trafficking under the banner “Traffic Report.”
The “Traffic Report” campaign launched today in New Jersey and New York in order to reach the local public and the more than 500,000 football fans descending on the region for the biggest football game of the year. This campaign builds on Clear Channel Outdoor’s broader efforts to highlight the issue of human trafficking with Polaris Project and other partners in a variety of markets since 2012, including Baltimore, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Seattle.
“Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar business that impacts all of us at the community and national levels and demands greater public awareness and action to help victims,” said Suzanne Grimes, president and chief operating officer, Clear Channel Outdoor – North America. “Polaris Project’s data on the size and scope of the human trafficking industry is sobering, and we felt compelled to use our power to connect to people to develop a strong campaign that would help draw attention to the issue in the biggest way possible -- both to affect change and to send a ray of hope to those who are being exploited.”
“Despite the enormity of the problem, most people don’t even realize that human trafficking is happening in their own back yards, and those being exploited are largely unaware that help is available,” said Bradley Myles, CEO of Polaris Project. “This form of modern slavery occurs at large sporting events, in suburban brothels, and in farms and factories across America. We want people to understand that sex and labor trafficking is a huge problem across the country that demands our attention and resources – 365 days a year.”
Over the next two weeks, the campaign will make more than 11 million impressions via 26 strategically located digital billboards in New Jersey and New York. In Manhattan, the campaign will run at marquee locations including the Port Authority (625 8th Avenue, between 41st and 42nd Streets), Penn Plaza (425/427 7th Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Streets), and Times Square (1560 Broadway, between 46th and 47th Streets). Additionally, 23 Clear Channel Outdoor digital billboards along the I-95 corridor in New Jersey and Westchester County, New York will run the campaign which will raise the visibility of the issue and engage the public to learn more at www.polarisproject.org/365days.
“I applaud Polaris Project and Clear Channel Outdoor for this tremendous campaign to bring national attention to the atrocities of human trafficking that remain so hidden from our society,” said New York City Council Member Laurie A. Cumbo, who represents District 35 in Brooklyn and chairs the Committee on Women’s Issues for the City Council. “It’s unacceptable that in today’s world, human trafficking still exists. It is my hope that this campaign will inform victims of trafficking that there is real help available while simultaneously encouraging others to work collaboratively to end this form of modern day slavery."
About Polaris Project
Polaris Project is a leading organization in the global fight against human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Named after the North Star "Polaris" that guided people escaping slavery along the Underground Railroad, Polaris Project is transforming the way that individuals and communities respond to human trafficking. To get help, report a tip, or request information or training, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline, operated by Polaris Project, at 1-888-373-7888, or send a text message to BeFree (233733). Learn more at www.polarisproject.org/365days.
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Media Contacts:
Clear Channel Outdoor
DavidGrabert@ClearChannel.com
212-812-0089
Clear Channel Outdoor
Hilary Lefevre, FeverPress
Hilary@FeverPress.com
(212) 300-4929
Polaris Project
Brandon Bouchard
bbouchard@polarisproject.org
(202) 507-7962