Social Media/Online

While social media has brought us more possibilities to meet new people and stay in touch with old friends, sex traffickers have long learned it’s benefits for tricking young people into sexual exploitation. 

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.

Polaris hailed passage of legislation in the U.S. House that fights sex trafficking being facilitated online by advertising websites.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888) announced that it has expanded the modes of communication survivors can use to reach out and get connected to help to include 24/7 SMS texting and online chat services in both English and Spanish. 

Members of Congress looking to fight sex trafficking facilitated by online advertising sites like Backpage.com should unite around the Stop Enabling Sex Trafficking Act of 2017, also known as SESTA.

Polaris applauded the Senate Commerce Committee for sending the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA) of 2017 to the full Senate for consideration.

The campaign invites the U.S. Latino and Hispanic communities to learn the signs of this crime and join the fight against the networks that exploit thousands of women and girls from Latin America.

La nueva campaña, “Únete a la Solución”, invita a la comunidad latina de Estados Unidos a tomar acción para prevenir y enfrentar la trata sexual que afecta a miles de mujeres y niñas de América Latina.

Polaris and Clear Channel Outdoor Americas, together with Illinois Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti, launched a four week anti-human trafficking awareness campaign to run on over 20 digital billboards across the city of Chicago.

This is a major blow against an organization that many have called the “world’s top online brothel."