The Polaris Project : The U.s. Department Of Health And Human Services

About: The NHTRC has operated since December 7th, 2007, by Polaris, a non-profit, non-governmental organization, a leader in the global fight to eradicate modern slavery and restore freedom to survivors of human trafficking. Polaris is not a government entity, law enforcement, or immigration authority. Funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other private donors and supporters.

Human trafficking has been known to be a tragic and unfortunate crime of the 21st century. Social workers, policy makers, and other human service providers must understand the various policies and forms of legislative involvement that are working towards combatting this issue. For the purposes of this policy analysis, I will be analyzing The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and the implications that it has for social workers and those who are invested in working towards abolishing this social issue.

Human trafficking is a serious problem in modern society. In fact, the United Nations has referred to it as “one of the gravest human rights violations of our times” (“Secretary - General Calls Human Trafficking”). It is a fast growing industry that affects millions. No gender, age, or status is spared from the cruelty that is trafficking. To stress this point again, human trafficking is not just a problem of the “world” or “United States”, in general. As previously seen, it strikes very close to home, affecting hundreds of men, women, and children of our own community. In fact, “North Carolina ranked as a top-10 state for human trafficking with Charlotte being the top destination. It is estimated that more than 1,700 girls are trafficked

Panigabutra-Roberts, A. (2012, January 1). Human Trafficking in the United States. Part I. State of the Knowledge. Retrieved March 23, 2015, from

Polaris Project fights to do away with slavery of the modern age. They focus on responding to victims efficiently and without delay. They provide communities and stakeholders the resources to address and prevent human trafficking. Doing so, disrupts the criminal enterprises network of human trafficking business. Polaris offers national hotlines, global hotlines, client services, texting hotlines, government relations, advisory services, data analysis, and strategic interventions (Polaris, 2017). Overall, this organization is dedicated to eradicating human trafficking and all avenues in which it operates.

We fail to prevent it, discuss it, or even acknowledge it. However, inaction will only exacerbate a problem that should not be allowed to continue. Gardner-Webb University “Release the Captives” club is an on campus anti-human trafficking club that raises awareness and funding for anti human trafficking organizations. But we still need help. There are a number of ways you can help us in stopping human trafficking: become involved in human anti-trafficking awareness, support any anti-trafficking organization that you feel comfortable with, pray for all (victims, responders, persecutors, and profiteers) involved in human trafficking, and continue to pray that God’s justice will break out in the

The Polaris Project is one such force fighting the war on trafficking. An organization who combats human trafficking by spreading awareness of this unspeakable crimes to prevent it from happening in the first place. They support victims who need help putting their lives back together after these atrocities, and move on with their lives. For example, because hotel industries are the number one culprit for human trafficking sites, The Polaris Project collaborates with hotel business executives and managers to teach them how to recognize the signs of workers or customers who might be involved in the human trafficking industry(Myles). They educate these powerhouses and their employees on how to spot and remove themselves or their

In recent years, the topic of human trafficking – or modern day slavery as many call it – has captured the attention of the American public. Realizing that slavery, a problem thought to have been fixed a century ago, was still growing rampant in the world, Americans became indignant. As a result, countless campaigns, fundraisers and organizations have been formed to try and alleviate the problem. The type of trafficking that scares the population the most would be the sex trafficking of thousands of women and girls each year. However, other forms of human trafficking such as forced labor and trafficking humans for organs, are just as big an issue in America, as well as throughout the entire world.

The impact of human trafficking can be felt all throughout the United States in all 50 state including Washington, D.C. There is no identifiable pattern for human trafficking victims; the victims can be adult and minor from rural, suburban, or urban communities. According to the national human trafficking resource center (NHTRC) the most vulnerable victim of these human trafficking rings are usually runaway and homeless youth. Even individuals who experienced violence and trauma in the past are more susceptible to being primed into human trafficking. Since human trafficking is so diverse the impact is felt across the board and the manipulation of adults and minors no matter their socio-economic background or education they are still being

The International Labor Organizations (ILO) estimates the number of enslaved victims in the world today is at around 21 million. It is estimated that over 4 million people fall prey to trafficking each year, which is considered to be a conservative estimate according to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) because not all victims come forward about their situations due to fear of their lives. Traffickers control their victims through physical threats, similar to the abuse chattel slaves endured in American history. According to the Polaris Project, one of the most well-known anti-trafficking organizations, most victims of human trafficking are often mistreated, handcuffed, beaten, and raped if they do not comply with their traffickers demands.

Polaris, named after the North Star that guided slaves to freedom in the United States (US), targets the human trafficking networks that “rob human beings of their lives and their freedom.” Polaris Project provides training and practices expertise in this matter, anti-trafficking hotlines, accurate data and statistics, and lastly urges governments to change policies that would improve victim protection laws, reduce vulnerability, increase support for victims and expand the human trafficking investigation.

In 2011, the total number of calls made to the NHTRC was 19,427, out of those calls 1,314 were from Texas, this is 247 more than in 2010. Only 84 of those calls could be used in reference to potential situations. In 2011, the types of trafficking went back to the same top three as in 2009. Dallas had 130 calls and Houston had 378 calls (“Texas Polaris Project” 2014).

Taken from their website, Polaris project attempts to stop human trafficking by “successfully pushing for stronger federal and state laws, operating the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline (1-888-373-7888), conducting trainings, and providing vital services to victims of trafficking, Polaris Project creates long-term solutions that move our society closer to a world without slavery” (“Sex Trafficking in the U.S.”). Polaris Project has created a national hotline that anyone who is in danger of human trafficking or feels as if they

Out of the thousands of people that have been Human Trafficking victims each year, only a insignificant amount of them is actually reported. Imagine being in 8th grade. Having all sorts of hopes and dreams. Now flash forward to dreams being taken away by a pimp that lures people into Human Trafficking. In short, this is true for Holly Austin Smith, a survivor of human trafficking. The punishment for the pimps that ruin the lives of these young girls is not severe. Therefore, there is not much help for the girls after they get rescued from this tragedy. A realization Holly had soon on and explains, “...Although I was soon recognized to be a victim, the specialized aftercare needed for a trafficking victim did not yet exist... Twenty years

many academics, public officials, law enforcement authorities, and the news media believe human trafficking to be among the most tragic and horrendous transnational criminal activities facing us today. Victims are typically transported from