The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is pairing federal goverment agencies with local coalitions to combat human trafficking, officials announced Wednesday at the John P. Raynor, S.J. Library.

The local, state and national officials announced Milwaukee's participation in the national campaign. The department is sponsoring the public awareness campaign, called "Rescue and restore victims of human trafficking," to fight the modern-day form of slavery.

According to a campaign press release, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 identifies two forms of human trafficking: sex trafficking, where victims are coerced into performing commercial sex acts, and labor trafficking, where victims are kept in involuntary servitude or are subject to debt bondage. Most victims come from Asia, Central and South America and Eastern Europe and do not speak or understand English.

The press release said human trafficking is the second largest criminal industry in the world, tied with the illegal arms industry and second only to drug dealing.

Most Americans are not aware that slavery exists today in the form of human trafficking, a business in which 14,000 to 16,000 individuals are brought into the United States each year, according to Wade Horn, health and human services assistant secretary.

Horn emphasized that victims should not be viewed as criminals, a belief which prevents them from seeking help for fear of being jailed or deported.

Although there are up to 16,000 victims of human trafficking, the government is typically able to identify only 600 victims each year. Horn said the campaign was created to identify more victims.

To teach people how to identify human trafficking victims, the campaign relies on local coalitions to disseminate information and resources.

In Milwaukee, over 50 non-governmental organizations have signed on to form a coalition. Horn said the campaign demands commitment from every sector and every person.

Milwaukee coalition members sent representatives to speak.

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan came to represent the Milwaukee Archdiocese. He described the coalition as "the Milwaukee community at its finest."

Steven Biskupic, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, said the nature of the crimes involved in human trafficking — prostitution, immigration statutes, involuntary servitude, kidnapping and racketeering — can take place at the local, state and national level, which makes it difficult for agencies to identify isolated incidents as organized crime.

Rosemary Anton, senior vice president of Covenant Health Care, said health care providers have a key role in the coalition because they have the ability to "look beneath the surface in a special way." She said employees will be trained in the criteria to look for when identifying a human trafficking victim and make appropriate referrals if necessary.

Two 45-second public service announcements employ messages, like "There is a way out" and "You can help." Both clips showed the help hotline number, 1-888-3737-888.