Sex Trafficking

For 15 years, Polaris has never turned off the lights on the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline — the country’s lifeline for victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking.

For San Diego, we created this action guide to help prevent trafficking of the local LGBTQ+ community.

The estimated number of people in situations of trafficking rose by 12 percent between 2016 and 2021, the latest international consensus study found. Today, some 27.6 million people around the globe are living without the freedom to choose how they live and work, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and Walk Free.

Keyana Marshall was just 15 when she was manipulated into selling sex by a female trafficker she originally went to work for as a babysitter. Throughout her teen years she was passed from one trafficker to another. Finally, law enforcement stepped in. But for Keyana, that only made things worse. She wound up serving nearly … Continued

In light of today's sentencing decision in the case of Ghislaine Maxwell, Robert Beiser, Polaris's Director of the Strategic Initiative on Sex Trafficking, released the following statement

Hosting the World Cup is a chance for cities and nations to showcase unique assets, build civic pride and create economic opportunity. It is also a significant opportunity for those same cities, now under a powerful global microscope, to become leaders in the fight to reduce and prevent human trafficking. With just a few short years until the 2026 kickoff, this is the time to get started.

It's finally a crime for federal law enforcement officers to engage in sexual contact with anyone in their custody thanks to the recent reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

Accurate and realistic narratives about human trafficking in TV shows and movies can have a significant impact on how many understand the issue and if victims and survivors are able to recognize their own experiences. In just a few scenes, the writers of the popular HBO series Euphoria managed to get a lot right about how human trafficking works. This is the kind of nuanced storytelling we are hoping our new guide for content creators will help spread.

Establishing a community center in San Diego that provides a safe space to meet the needs of young Black, LGBTQ+ people would make a significant dent in the likelihood that they would fall prey to sex traffickers.

In the hands of human traffickers, love is one of the most powerful weapons. That's why it is important to be THAT friend - the one who understands the difference between love and trafficking and has hard conversations with loved ones you are concerned about when necessary.

Ghislaine Maxwell faces six counts, including sex trafficking of a minor and sex trafficking conspiracy, for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse girls.

Compassionate, committed individuals and communities like yours are the most powerful resource there is to prevent and reduce human trafficking. But to leverage your power, you need the best possible information. For this reason, Polaris has created an interactive, online training program: Human Trafficking 101.