Human trafficking is a problem that affects the entire world. In 2017, 100,409 victims of human trafficking were identified worldwide. That is a dramatic increase from 2012, the year that saw the total number of victims reach 46,570 people. However, there are several organizations in the United States and abroad that are working to end human trafficking. In the text below, top five nonprofits combating human trafficking are presented.

Top 5 Nonprofits Combatting Human Trafficking

1. The Polaris Project began in 2002, with the objective of tracking and ending human trafficking. This program aims to achieve this goal through several objectives. One of the objectives is running National Human Trafficking Hotline that provides support for victims inside the United States. Recently, the Polaris Project began to expand its work beyond the United States. The organization partnered with Consejo Ciudadano organization and begun work in Mexico and Latin America. The partnership with Consejo Ciudadano allowed both projects to merge their hotlines to track victims being smuggled to the United to Mexico and vice versa. In 2016, the partnership helped 508 victims find support after being trafficked. Support included psychological evaluation and legal advice. Also, calling the hotline number provided crucial details that lead to the identification of 559 traffickers.
2. A21, since 2008, works to end slavery and human trafficking across the world and wants to ensure that freedom is a right secured to every human. A21 has 14 offices across the world including the United States, South Africa, Thailand and Ukraine. One of A21’s largest programs is the Walk for Freedom, which is a march that raises awareness of slavery and human trafficking. The march is also an opportunity for A21 to raise money to help its other causes like the Can You See Me campaign that aims to raise awareness of trafficking through social media. Last year, 400 marches took place in 50 countries. Seventy million people saw these marches either in person or through the media.
3. Stop the Traffik, like other nonprofits combatting human trafficking, focuses on intelligence-led preventative measures that lead to disruption of human trafficking worldwide. The most important service that Stop the Traffik offers is the Stop App. This app can be downloaded by anyone in the world and is a place for victims of human trafficking to share their stories. The app allows victims to feel heard but also provides Stop the Traffik with valuable data. The information shared on the app allows Stop the Traffik to create hotspots and predict further activity in these areas. The data and findings are published online and are accessible to everyone. In August 2018, Stop the Traffik released a three-page report on child trafficking in Kenya that included the areas most affected by human trafficking, the most popular types of exploitation, the ways in which traffickers trick victims and how to spot the signs that someone is trafficked.
4. Love146 fights to end child trafficking and exploitation through prevention and care for survivors. One of the many caring services that Love146 offers is the Round Home. The Round Home is a recovery house for girls who are victims of human trafficking. The goal of the house is to help girls renter society by helping them overcome trauma and realize their potential. The home is located in the Philippines and has several facilities including a volleyball court, a treehouse designated for therapy and a punching bag to help girls take out their aggression. While girls are staying at the house, Love146 helps locate the girls’ families to ensure they do not re-trafficked and that they can return to a stable living situation.
5. Shared Hope’s goal is to bring an end to sex trafficking through prevention, justice and support. While Shared Hope focuses on human trafficking in the United States it also expanded its support programs to Nepal, India and Jamaica. In 2005, Shared Hope founded Asha Nepal, a Village of Hope that offers to house women who are victims of human trafficking. The village hosts 11 women and 15 children year round and offers counseling, HIV and STI treatment and vocational training. Like the Round House, the goal of Asha Nepal’s housing is to help victims of human trafficking re-enter the society with valuable skills so they do not get re-trafficked.

In recent years human trafficking increased worldwide. Despite these harsh facts, the nonprofit organizations like the Polaris Project, A21, Stop the Traffik, Love146 and Shared Hope are working hard to end it. These and many other organizations are fighting for a world where no will have to worry about being exploited for sex or labor.

– Drew Garbe

Photo: Flickr