Financial Systems

I Work at a Bank or Money Wire Service: What Can I Do to Combat Human Trafficking?

Blog Post — September 26, 2018

Human trafficking is a business and the International Labour Organization estimates that it is a $150 billion global industry. A significant amount of this money will go through legitimate financial institutions, like retail bank branches.

On-Ramps, Intersections, and Exit Routes: A Roadmap for Systems and Industries to Prevent and Disrupt Human Trafficking

Published July 1, 2018
This report highlights the way industries can make fundamental shifts to their systems to prevent, detect, and disrupt human trafficking.

New Report Provides Roadmap for Industries to Join the Fight Against Human Trafficking

Blog Post — July 26, 2018

Polaris released its newest ground-breaking report on how human trafficking business models attempt to intersect with and use legitimate businesses like financial services, social media, hotels & motels, transportation systems, health care, and housing and homelessness systems to further their operations in very specific ways to recruit and exploit victims.

Netflix’s Ozark, Money Laundering, and Massage Parlor Trafficking

Blog Post — July 11, 2018

If you’re a fan of the Netflix series Ozark, you’re probably already very familiar with the dangerous art of money laundering. 

Corporate Secrecy Fuels Human Trafficking in United States

April 19, 2018

The laws governing business registration in the United States are enabling illicit massage parlors to flourish in secrecy, shielding traffickers from law enforcement and prosecution, according to a report released by Polaris.

The Typology of Modern Slavery: Defining Sex and Labor Trafficking in the United States

Published March 1, 2017
From sex trafficking to labor trafficking, the ways humans are exploited differ greatly. Each type has unique strategies for recruiting and controlling victims and concealing the crime.

Leading Credit Card Companies Cripple Backpage.com

July 1, 2015

Polaris praised the major credit card companies today for no longer accepting payments through Backpage.com. For years, Backpage has profited from ads selling victims and survivors of human trafficking, including minors. The move cripples Backpage's ability to profit from these ads, while also disrupting traffickers from selling victims online. 

Need help? Polaris operates the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline.