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There is a moment when you realize you have the capacity to make an impact on the world. When a cause, practice or single idea moves you so much that you couldn’t ignore it even if you tried. Some pursue fulfillment through exploration, swiftly moving through places and ideas. Others prefer to dig in and relish a challenge. For Flora Baik the anti-trafficking movement sparked a deep passion for social justice and in celebration of her 21st birthday, instead of asking for shoes or clothes, she collected more than $2,400 for Polaris Project.

Flora was introduced to the anti-trafficking movement through a documentary about the exploitation of men, women and children around the world, called Nefarious. As a volunteer for the International Labour Organization team Towards Elimination of Child Labour program in South Africa, she worked with victims of neglect and abuse. Living with a host family helped her realize that she already had the material possession she needed to survive. Instead, she wanted to liberate and restore the lives of people who had theirs stripped away.

She initiated a fundraising campaign thought the Polaris Project peer-to-peer fundraising webpage and slowly donations began to come in. By November 24, she had 40 donations from family, friends and even people whom she hadn’t spoken to in years. With the money that she raised, Flora’s efforts will be able to provide one week’s worth of food for 48 survivors, that’s more than 1,000 meals!

While all clothing and jewelry will eventually get lost or fall apart, the joy and love that Flora’s fundraiser gave will always be remembered. Here are some simple acts that you can do right now to make a difference in the fight against human trafficking.

1. Start your own peer to peer fundraising campaign
2. Share this blog with 10 of your loved ones
3. Post a link on your Facebook wall
4. Tweet about it on Twitter
5. Make a donation to Polaris Project, even $10 will make a difference in the life of a survivor of human trafficking.

When it comes to the issue of human trafficking, there is a tendency to think of victims almost exclusively as women. My time at Polaris Project has made me acutely aware that human trafficking is not only a women’s issue. Victims can be men or women, adults or children, and foreign nationals or U.S. citizens. Men play many roles in human trafficking; as victims, perpetrators, and advocates. If we are to succeed in combating the beliefs and practices that promote human trafficking it is crucial to recognize that these different roles.

While labor trafficking affects men, women, and children, sex trafficking disproportionately (although not exclusively) affects women and young girls, and is inextricably linked to the way society views women. To counter the trafficking of women and girls for commercial sexual exploitation requires a shift in societal norms that psychologically empowers both men and women by redefining gender roles and expectations. Human traffickers typically employ psychological manipulation, either in place of, or in tandem with physical force, preying on human desires for love, safety, and security. This is one of the many reasons that we must no longer tolerate objectification of women or the message that a woman’s worth lies in her body or rests on being loved and accepted by a man.

It is essential that the anti-trafficking movement include both strong women and men.  Men are the primary consumers of commercial sex and generate the demand for sex trafficking. While the media promotes unrealistic images of women, it also exacerbates the issue by promoting a pimp culture that encourages young men to objectify women. Empowering men to avoid these behaviors and encourage “anti-pimp” attitudes among their peers serves to create an environment less hospitable to sex trafficking. Educating men, as well as the population in general, improves the likelihood that victims are recognized and treated with fairness and respect. Additionally, empowering more men as anti-human trafficking advocates will serve to broaden the movement. The anti-human trafficking movement might consider the models of the anti-rape and anti-domestic violence movements which have achieved momentum by publicly engaging male supporters.

We should never forget that human trafficking is a human rights issue that affects both men and women. A gender-sensitive approach to the issue is vital because it recognizes the consequences of our societal norms and expectations and emphasizes the significant contributions that both men and women make to the anti-human trafficking movement.

As a call specialist on the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) hotline going to work can be exciting yet demanding. Calls continuously come in from around the country with requests for information, referrals, and sometimes from victims currently in crisis. Below is a single hour in the life of a NHTRC Call Specialist.

2:01 p.m. My extension rings and I answer with our standard greeting: “National Human Trafficking Resource Center, how can I help you?” A young voice explains that she is a student, working on a paper about sex trafficking. I direct her to our website and highlight the multiple resources available. [Read more →]

Donate to Polaris Project on November 9 and help the D.C. area break the national record for best online giving metro region!

Give to the Max is a day for Washingtonians to come together to raise as much money as possible for area nonprofits in just 24 hours, starting tonight at midnight through tomorrow at midnight on November 10. Donors can simply visit the site, and use the search function to search for “Polaris Project”. [Read more →]

The 2011 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) was introduced in the House yesterday – so it’s important now more than ever to keep pressure on our Representatives to pass this vital legislation! The TVPRA is one of the cornerstones of the United States’ anti-trafficking efforts, and represents a ray of hope for any man, woman, or child who is trafficked. [Read more →]

After countless hours of research, the Policy team is proud to announce the release of the 2011 State Ratings map! The Polaris Project annual state ratings process tracks the presence or absence of 10 categories of state statutes that Polaris Project believes are critical to a comprehensive anti-trafficking legal framework. [Read more →]

Our Policy team has just returned from the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) with a lot of positive news to report! The NCSL organizes an annual national summit, where legislators from all around the country come together for a four-day meeting, sharing ideas and progress. This year, Polaris Project attended so that we could reach as many legislators as possible and spread the word about the need for comprehensive and effective human trafficking laws. [Read more →]

Australia is a destination country for many people. With picturesque stretches of coast and idyllic outback scenery, there are many tourists who want to come to Australia to enjoy all that it has to offer. Unfortunately, Australia is also a destination for a different type of visitor – human trafficking victims. As Polaris Project’s only current Australian fellow, human trafficking in the Oceania region is of particular interest to me.

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As consumers we face countless choices for the goods and services we can buy. However, for socially conscious consumers who are aware of the frequent intersections between human trafficking and corporate supply chains, there is the added desire of purchasing goods that are socially responsible. But how do we really know how things are produced? [Read more →]

Most of the time, we report out to you on the progress we are making to end human trafficking. We let you know when our advocacy efforts played a critical role in getting Craigslist to shut down their Adult /services section. We recently told you about the crackdown on Asian massage parlors that were fronting as legitimate businesses, when in actuality they were sex trafficking operations. What we don’t talk about as often is how we function financially, but it is incredibly important to us so I wanted to take a moment to share some good news. [Read more →]