Human trafficking is a pervasive and insidious crime that affects millions of individuals worldwide. It is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted approach to effectively combat. At Allies Against Slavery, we believe that collaboration is and will be the cornerstone of our efforts to eradicate human trafficking. By working together, law enforcement, policymakers, service providers, and nonprofit organizations can create a powerful network dedicated to ending this heinous crime.

The fight against human trafficking cannot be won by any single entity. It requires the combined efforts of various stakeholders, each bringing their unique expertise and resources to the table. Law enforcement agencies play a crucial role in identifying and prosecuting traffickers, while policymakers are essential in creating and enforcing laws that protect victims and punish perpetrators. Service providers offer critical support to survivors, helping them rebuild their lives, and nonprofit organizations raise awareness and advocate for systemic change.

Collaboration ensures that these efforts are not fragmented but are instead part of a cohesive strategy. By sharing information and resources, we can develop more effective interventions and support systems. This unified approach allows us to address the root causes of trafficking, provide comprehensive care to survivors, and dismantle trafficking networks more efficiently.

At Allies Against Slavery, we have developed the Lighthouse platform to facilitate this collaboration. Lighthouse provides critical data and insights that empower all stakeholders to make informed decisions. By aggregating within our platform, from Lighthouse and other sources then presenting the data and providing insights, we can more effectively screen for potential victims, identify trafficking patterns, predict potential hotspots, and respond more effectively. This data-driven approach ensures that our efforts are targeted and impactful.

Highlighting Key Organizations

The fight against human trafficking is a collective effort, and many organizations are doing incredible work in this space. Here are some of the organizations that are making a significant impact: (If we have missed an organization, it was not intentional. Please send an email to: NEED@alliesagainstslavery.org and we will update our list).  

1. OUR Rescue: Operation Underground Railroad (OUR Rescue) is dedicated to ending sex trafficking and child exploitation. They support law enforcement operations and provide essential care for survivors2.

2. International Justice Mission: IJM is a global organization that protects people in poverty from human trafficking, modern-day slavery, violence, and police abuse of power. They partner with local authorities to rescue victims and bring criminals to justice3.

3. A21: A21 is a global anti-trafficking organization dedicated to rescuing and restoring the lives of human trafficking victims. They work to abolish slavery everywhere, forever5.

4. Love146: Love146 is an international human rights organization working to end child trafficking and exploitation. They provide holistic care for survivors and work to prevent trafficking through education and advocacy6.

5. ECPAT-USA: ECPAT-USA is a leading anti-trafficking policy organization in the United States. They focus on ending the commercial sexual exploitation of children through advocacy, education, and private sector engagement7.

6. Freedom Network USA: Freedom Network USA is the largest coalition of experts and advocates providing a human-rights-based approach to fighting human trafficking in the U.S. They mobilize collective strength to build a transformative approach grounded in anti-racism and anti-oppression9.

7. CAST (Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking): CAST is the nation’s largest provider of comprehensive services to survivors of human trafficking. They advocate for groundbreaking policies and legislation to end modern slavery10.

8. Sheperd’s Watch Foundation: is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization combating sex trafficking by providing prevention education to the public, ​investigative intelligence to assist all levels of law enforcement and networked services to survivors.

9. Shared Hope International: Shared Hope International works to prevent sex trafficking and restore and bring justice to survivors. They provide training, advocacy, and support services to combat trafficking.

10. Truckers Against Trafficking: Truckers Against Trafficking educates, equips, empowers, and mobilizes members of the trucking, bus, and energy industries to combat human trafficking as part of their everyday jobs.

11. Not For Sale: Not For Sale works to end human trafficking and exploitation by providing survivors with shelter, education, and job opportunities. They also work to prevent trafficking through community-based solutions.

12. Free the Slaves: Free the Slaves works to liberate people from slavery and help them rebuild their lives. They also work to dismantle the systems that allow slavery to persist.

13. Unseen: Unseen supports anti-trafficking organizations by providing them with the resources and training they need to be more effective. They work to amplify the impact of these organizations through collaboration and support.

14. National Human Trafficking Hotline: Operated by Polaris, the National Human Trafficking Hotline connects victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking with services and supports to get help and stay safe.

15. Polaris: Polaris is a leader in the global fight to eradicate modern slavery. They operate the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline and work to reshape the systems that allow for sex and labor trafficking.

16. Thorn: Thorn builds technology to defend children from sexual abuse. Founded by Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Thorn creates products and programs to combat child sexual abuse at scale.

APPS TO HELP STOP TRAFFICKING

1. Redlight Traffic: Developed by redlighttraffic.org, this app allows citizens to report suspicious activity that may be related to human trafficking. The app also features a short informational page on how to recognize physical and behavioral signs of trafficking victims.

2. The STOP APP: This app is very similar to Redlight Traffic, but with the additional feature of attaching up to three photos and one video with a submitted report. 

3. Lifeboat ACT Game: Created with interactive features and story-structured gameplay, this app lets users learn how to identify the signs of human trafficking in the people they love. 

4. TraffickCam: TraffickCam was specifically created with frequent travelers in mind. Because trafficking victims are often photographed in hotel rooms, this app lets users photograph their hotel rooms and upload them to TraffickCam’s database. These pictures are then analyzed and run against a database of pictures provided by law enforcement to find sex trafficking locations. The app also pinpoints the location of its users when they upload a picture, so that if a match is found, the local authorities know exactly where to look. With an 85% success rate, even the FBI agrees that this app could revolutionize how they conduct their investigations.

5. Radical Empathy Education Foundation: Provides abuse prevention training through the award-winning virtual reality experience, TRAPPED: A VR Detective Story designed to help students, parents, professionals, medical professionals,  university students, and others learn how to spot and stop trafficking and abuse. In the experience, you direct and control an interactive story and discover clues to how Lisa, a 14-year-old girl from the suburbs, became a victim through manipulation and coercion. The immersive, virtual reality (VR) headset experience lets users “choose their own path” and gives you a first-person perspective of how anyone could become trapped, like Lisa.

These organizations, along with many others, are vital partners in our mission to end human trafficking. Their dedication and hard work inspire us to continue pushing forward, knowing that together, we can make a difference.

The fight against human trafficking is a daunting task, but it is one that we can win through collaboration. By uniting our efforts and leveraging the power of data, we can create a world where every victim becomes a survivor and every trafficker is brought to justice. At Allies Against Slavery, we are committed to fostering this collaboration and driving impactful change. Together, we can turn the tide against human trafficking and build a future free from exploitation.