Category — Human Trafficking Initiatives

On November 15, Polaris Project hosted the first ever National State Legislators Conference Call on Human Trafficking. More than 40 legislators from 26 states joined a conference call and webinar put together by Polaris Project to collaborate, share ideas, and advocate for anti-trafficking legislation. Each state has taken its own approach to combatting human trafficking and the purpose of the call was to give legislators an opportunity to learn more from each other on what has worked and the challenges others have confronted in successfully carrying anti-trafficking legislation.

Executive Director and CEO Bradley Myles provided an introductory statement on the need for strong local action against trafficking. Then, legislators that worked closely with Polaris Project offered their insight and guidance to veteran and freshmen legislators on how to pass anti-trafficking legislation. [Read more →]

Through the creation of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, the U.S. positioned itself as a leader in the global fight against human trafficking. This significant piece of legislation made human trafficking a federal crime, formed agencies and task forces to address human trafficking domestically and internationally, defined the strict penalties human traffickers face, created the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, and initiated various measures to prevent trafficking, protect victims, and prosecute traffickers. Since its original passage, the bill has been reauthorized three times, each time reaffirming our nation’s commitment to eliminating modern-day slavery and strengthening our ability to fight it.

The 2011 TVPRA has been introduced in the Senate by a bi-partisan coalition made up of Senators Leahy (VT), Boxer (CA), Brown (MA), Cardin (MD), Cochran (MS), Feinstein (CA), Gillibrand (NY), Kerry (MA), Rubio (FL), and Wyden (OR). However, we need to build momentum to ensure the bill gets passed. [Read more →]

In comparison to the Montana Meth Project ad campaign discussed here yesterday, anti-trafficking groups have tried similar ad campaigns before to raise public awareness, but never anything so graphic or compelling as the Montana Meth Project’s campaign, perhaps until now (see more below under Recent Developments). Past efforts have been sporadic and limited in reach. For example, the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking initiated a print ad campaign focusing on child sex trafficking with images of strip clubs and very young girls in neon lights. Check it out here. Another coalition worked in Seattle to initiate a bus ad campaign, focusing on ending demand for commercial sex and thus thwarting sex trafficking. [Read more →]

The survivors of human trafficking that we serve often leave their situations with very few possessions. To assist them in rebuilding their lives, Polaris Project provides our clients with basic necessities. I want to share the story of two of our clients that need your help now.

Meet Caley*. When she was just 14 years old she met an older boy, Troy, who told her she was beautiful and that he could take her away from the group home she hated. As a foster care child, Caley had always wanted to be loved and cared for and Troy promised that he could do that, or so she thought. She ran away from her group home with Troy, only later to find out that he was really a 24-year-old violent pimp. Within just a couple of weeks he forced her into prostitution and told her if she didn’t do as he said he would beat her. Five years later, Caley met a case manager from Polaris Project and began receiving services. She’s currently receiving comprehensive case management, therapy, job training, and is expecting a baby boy any day now.

[Read more →]

Since the release of the 2011 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report three weeks ago, we’ve been busy processing the recommendations both here in the U.S. and in our Japan office. Polaris Project Japan, the biggest anti-trafficking non-profit in the country, has taken stock of the state of human trafficking in Japan, which remains a top destination country and has a unique set of struggles owing to its cultural and economic climate. [Read more →]

In 2000, the UN passed the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, also known as the Palermo Protocol. Among other things, the Protocol recognizes that criminalizing alone will not lead to the elimination of human trafficking and that prevention efforts are necessary. State action does not end at the prosecution and incarceration of a trafficker; governments must provide victims with the support and services they need to re-integrate them into society.

The 2011 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report brings about an important question:
How can governments effectively address victim protection in cases of human trafficking? [Read more →]

This year’s TIP Report includes country narratives on 184 countries, featuring seven new profiles on Aruba, Curacao, Marshall Islands, St. Lucia, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, and Tonga. One of the most notable components of the TIP Report is the tier placements, and of course everyone wants to know how their country measured up this year. The 2011 TIP Report boasts upgrades for 23 countries and demotions for 22 countries, a quasi-equilibrium in shifts. But what does this re-shuffling mean? [Read more →]

The U.S. State Department’s Annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report was released on Monday, June 27, 2011. It is compiled each year to analyze 184 governments’ efforts to combat human trafficking within their own borders. Governments are ranked into one of three tiers based on their attempts to meet the “minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking” in Section 108 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA).  It is useful as a tool for diplomatic pressure and incentives, a map of trafficking streams and trends, and an update on status quo practices and implementation of anti-trafficking efforts globally. [Read more →]

“Human trafficking awareness is at a tipping point in our society.”

Words spoken by the Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna, the incoming president of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), as he revealed human trafficking as his 2012 Presidential Initiative today at the NAAG annual meeting in Chicago. [Read more →]

We’re unleashing a new series on the North Star Blog: Tip Tuesday. Each Tuesday for the next few months, we will write about different types of human trafficking in the United States. We hope that you’ll tune in to learn the signs of these types of trafficking. [Read more →]