Polaris and Clear Channel Outdoor Americas Launch Anti-Human Trafficking Digital Billboard Campaign Across Minnesota

Congressman Erik Paulsen and other Minnesota Leaders Endorse
Campaign to Alert Human Trafficking Victims About How to Reach Out for
Help

MINNEAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#DOOH—Polaris
and Clear
Channel Outdoor Americas (CCOA), a
division of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CCO), together
with Congressman Erik Paulsen, today unveiled an anti-human trafficking
awareness campaign to run on 53 digital billboards throughout Minnesota.
The new campaign, launching today and running for three weeks, will
alert victims how to reach out for help through the National Human
Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) (1-888-373-7888), as well as raise
awareness about the true nature of modern slavery.

A collaborative effort between Polaris and CCOA, the Out-of-Home (OOH)
media campaign, which is estimated to deliver approximately 6.5 million
impressions, is designed to reach trafficking victims who may be unaware
that resources exist to help them and residents who can help identify
suspicious activity with raised awareness that human trafficking is a
major problem in Minnesota and throughout the U.S. 365 days a year. CCOA
is donating ad space across its digital OOH media platform in the
Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan areas for the campaign.

The estimated $150 billion a year trafficking industry forces
approximately 20.9 million people worldwide to live in modern day
slavery. In just the first six months of 2016, human trafficking was
reported in all 50 states, with 37 cases of human trafficking reported
to the NHTRC from Minnesota, already a 12% increase over all of 2015.
The top cities that received reports in Minnesota include
Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, St. Cloud, Blaine and Moorhead. In
total, the NHTRC has received reports of over 265 cases of human
trafficking from Minnesota since 2007.

In a news conference earlier today held at the Minnesota State Fair,
Congressman Erik Paulsen, Ramsey District Attorney John Choi, Kyle
Loven, Chief Division Counsel, FBI – Minneapolis, Washington County
Attorney Imran Ali, Executive Director Patina Park of the Minnesota
Indian Women’s Resource Center, Polaris National Hotlines Director
Caroline Diemar and the President of CCOA-Minneapolis/St. Paul Susan
Adams Loyd joined local and state law enforcement officials to speak
with an audience of reporters and supporters to underscore the need for
preventing and combatting human trafficking across Minnesota and the
country. Also in attendance to endorse the campaign in solidarity were
representatives from Uber, Mysister.org and the Hennepin County – No
Wrong Door Initiative and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.

“We must do all that we can to eliminate the scourge of human
trafficking – too many young girls and boys, and their families are
affected by this heinous practice,” said Congressman Erik Paulsen
(MN-03). “This awareness campaign is an important and meaningful step in
accomplishing that goal. By coming together, educating our communities
about available resources, and empowering others to play a role in
combating human trafficking, we can all contribute in this fight.”

Senator Amy Klobuchar, who could not attend today’s event said, “Raising
awareness is critical in the fight against human trafficking. This
campaign, which educates and empowers people to join the fight against
trafficking, has the power to help prevent children from being
victimized and help those who have fallen victim to this heinous crime
get the support they need to get their lives back on track. I was proud
to lead the effort to pass the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act
that is helping law enforcement further crack down on human traffickers
in communities across the country while bringing about greater
restitution and justice for victims. We must continue to ensure that
children who are sold for sex are treated as victims, not criminals.”

“People exploited in forms of modern slavery are receiving help and
services to rebuild their lives every day in America, including here in
Minnesota. From the domestic worker provided with her visa, to the young
girl sold online for sex who now has counseling and therapy support,
survivors are reaching out to the national human trafficking hotline
more than ever,” said Caroline Diemar, Polaris’s National Hotline
Director. “Too often, though, survivors aren’t aware the national
hotline exists or that they can be connected to a network of support
across the country. Minnesota’s awareness campaign is critical to
ensuring survivors of sex and labor trafficking get the help they need.”

“Our digital OOH campaign has the power to reach many victims of human
trafficking across Minnesota and let them know that there is help and
way out of this modern slavery,” said Susan Adams Loyd, President,
CCOA-Minneapolis/St. Paul. “What is also important about this campaign
is that we are reiterating to residents that human trafficking is a
real, crucial issue that needs a call to action immediately. Together
with Polaris, and with the support of Congressman Paulsen and Minnesota
law enforcement, our goal is help these victims gain back their freedom
and ultimately decrease the number of cases of this heart-breaking
crime.”

Polaris and CCOA have forged a national partnership to combat human
trafficking with campaigns in cities across America. CCOA launched its
first anti-human trafficking campaign alongside Polaris in Philadelphia
in 2012 and has since supported campaigns with Polaris and/or local
partners in Baltimore, Iowa, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee,
New Jersey, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, and across the
entire state of Texas. This is CCOA’s 20th anti-human trafficking
campaign and data show that the campaigns drive calls to the hotline,
including tips and requests by victims for help.

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center is operated by Polaris,
and funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other
private donors. The NHTRC (1-888-373-7888) is a confidential,
multilingual hotline that connects victims and survivors of all forms of
human trafficking to nationwide available services to get help and stay
safe. It also provides the anti-trafficking community with actionable
tips and insights. By offering a robust 24/7 infrastructure and sharing
data and resources, the NHTRC unites local efforts into a national
movement that is helping survivors restore their freedom and eradicating
human trafficking at scale.

About Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc.

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc., (NYSE: CCO) is one of the world’s
largest outdoor advertising companies, with more than 650,000 displays
in over 35 countries across five continents, including 43 of the 50
largest markets in the United States. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings
offers many types of displays across its global platform to meet the
advertising needs of its customers. This includes a growing digital
platform that now offers over 1,050 digital billboards across 29 U.S.
markets. Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings’ International segment operates
in 22 countries across Asia, Australia and Europe in a wide variety of
formats. More information is available at www.clearchanneloutdoor.com
and www.clearchannelinternational.com.

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About Polaris

Polaris is a leader in the global fight to eradicate modern slavery.
Named after the North Star that guided slaves to freedom in the U.S.,
Polaris acts as a catalyst to systemically disrupt the human trafficking
networks that rob human beings of their lives and their freedom. By
working with government leaders, the world’s leading technology
corporations, and local partners, Polaris equips communities to
identify, report, and prevent human trafficking. Our comprehensive model
puts victims at the center of what we do – helping survivors restore
their freedom, preventing more victims, and leveraging data and
technology to pursue traffickers wherever they operate. Learn more at www.polarisproject.org.

Contacts

Media:
Clear Channel Outdoor Americas
Jason D King,
212-812-0064
JasonDKing@ClearChannel.com
or
Cindy
Stoller, 917-331-0418
cindy@feverpress.com
or
Polaris
Brandon
Bouchard, 202-507-7962
bbouchard@polarisproject.org