LEE COUNTY, Fla -- The Florida Senate Education Committee voted Tuesday to add human trafficking awareness into the curriculum at Florida schools. The goal is to give students the tools they need so that they don't become victims, after some alarming data.
The new information would be designed to be taught in health class.
Recent data showed that on a global scale, experts estimate more than 40 million people are enslaved. One in every four victims is a child. In 2017, Florida ranked third for the highest number of reported cases.
The new bill, which received unanimous support Tuesday, would require Florida schools to teach about the dangers and signs of human trafficking.
Here's what the curriculum would include:
· Information on the warning signs of human trafficking
· Terms used by traffickers
· Red flags that would indicate a trafficker's malicious intent toward a student
· Websites that are popular with traffickers so kids know to stay away
· And how a student can get help
The bill also states that if a parent chooses, they would be able to provide a written note to opt their child out of the new education.
