Public Policy

As leaders meet together this week for the G7 summit, Polaris joins a global group of anti-human trafficking organizations and leaders in a joint letter calling on the G7 to elevate and act on forced labor. Need for Coordinated Action by G7 Leaders on Forced Labour Leaders representing half the global economy meet together this … Continued

A spike in the number of migrants attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico this spring has led to concerns about a surge in sex trafficking and claims that lax border enforcement is making trafficking easier. Let's lay out the facts.

LGBTQ+ people are particularly vulnerable to human traffickers in part because bias and discrimination in things like jobs and housing gives traffickers an opening to step in. The Equality Act would make such discrimination illegal under federal law.

In the wake of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, Polaris, in partnership with The Soufan Group and Limbik, has written a report that sheds light on previously unexplored links between QAnon, human trafficking, disinformation, and violent extremism.

October 28th marks 20 years since the first Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) was signed into law establishing the crime of human trafficking in the United States and forming the baseline for where the movement head.

The case of Larsen Farms in Texas is only one example of how the H-2A visa system is badly broken. Farms owners should be held accountable for what happens under their watch.

The USDA notice cancelling the Farm Labor Survey will lower the salaries of H-2A workers and also leaves them at more risk of human trafficking.

Technology plays a role in almost every aspect of human trafficking. Polaris's Chief Technology Officer explored this issue before the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Georgia enacted a law that allows adult survivors to clear their criminal records of convictions that occurred because they were being trafficked. This is great news for countless human trafficking survivors, the vast majority of whom have some record of arrest or conviction as a direct result of their victimization.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided two cases that together increase protections for the LGBTQ+ community and undocumented immigrant youth. These decisions are positive steps in the work to end sex and labor trafficking, both directly and indirectly.

The 2020 Trafficking in Persons is primarily a tool of diplomacy, used to help engage foreign governments in efforts to make positive changes that protect vulnerable people and end exploitation. But it is also a good jumping off point for the United States to do some much needed self-examination. 

During COVID-19, temporary changes in regulations to work visas, like H-2A and H-2B, benefit employers but put workers at greater risk of human trafficking and exploitation. Lack of oversight and lack of clear access to crucial information for workers increases the imbalance of power, favoring employers.