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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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 Montana Meth Project is a philanthropic organization working to prevent meth use in Montana by focusing on risks and consequences of methamphetamine. During its six years of operations, it has seen an inspiring decrease in meth use statewide. Public awareness has been catalyzed by the Meth Project’s intense advertising campaign, including short TV spots, radio announcements, internet presence, and print ads.

The print ads took the cause to the streets with a graphic advertising campaign appearing on billboards and in printed high school newspapers across the state of Montana. Many of these ads illustrate the drastic, dangerous, heart-wrenching effects of meth on its users and their families. Some ads particularly highlight the severe connection between drug use and various types of exploitation. The pictures allude to certain scenarios with images and key words, and many of these depict situations related to human trafficking. [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 →]

Since 1945, the United States has maintained a significant military presence in the Republic of Korea (also known as South Korea). Currently, about 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed on military bases throughout the country. Beginning in the 1950s, U.S. Forces in Korea (USFK) identified the need to provide entertainment in order to maintain high levels of morale among U.S. troops stationed there. The USFK and South Korea cooperated to establish centers of “rest and relaxation” for American troops called kijichon near American military bases. What began as a well-meaning effort to keep homesick American troops amused, and Korean citizens employed, resulted in an exploitative network that has spanned international borders and four decades. [Read more →]

The release of the TIP Report highlights the necessity of passing the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). On June 29, 2011, Senators Leahy, Kerry, and Brown introduced the 2011 TVPRA bill, building on the momentum of the TIP Report release a few days earlier. [Read more →]

Human trafficking remains a pervasive problem in the United States. The U.S. State Department included analysis of the U.S. government in the TIP Report for the first time in 2010, and the U.S. has retained its Tier 1 ranking in the 2011 report.  As part of achieving a Tier 1 ranking in 2011, Polaris Project helped train federal law enforcement, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and state and local law enforcement around the country to encourage prioritizing trafficking cases and prosecutions, as well as enable them to recognize red flags that indicate trafficking, via our National Training and Technical Assistance Program (NTTAP). [Read more →]

With this week’s Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report release, the anti-trafficking movement has been buzzing with activity, collaboration, and progress. We’ve had the privilege of meeting some of the people leading the movement internationally: the 2011 TIP Heroes. These are ten individuals from all over the world who work tirelessly to combat human trafficking. Yesterday, the Department of State coordinated with the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) to provide anti-trafficking NGOs with a chance to listen to and exchange stories with the Heroes. Today, the TIP Heroes visited the Polaris Project headquarters to share knowledge and learn about our organization. [Read more →]

The U.S. State Department’s Annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report was released on Monday, June 27, 2011. If you didn’t have time to read the full report, check out this quick summary of findings on the 2010 Interactive World Map of Tier Placements. We’re anxiously awaiting the 2011 interactive world map.

The U.S. was not included in the report until 2010 and was labeled Tier 1—the highest ranking—which it has maintained in 2011. The report does not purport that countries within the Tier 1 category experience no human trafficking. Rather, the Tier 1 distinction indicates that a country has met and continued to progress in meeting the minimum standards toward eradicating human trafficking, but has more work to do. Still, what does this mean for the states? Which states are working to end modern-day slavery in the U.S.? [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 →]