Resources - Polaris

U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline Statistics

Updated December 18, 2023

The U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline has handled 82,301 situations of human trafficking since 2007, comprising one of the largest known publicly available data sets on human trafficking in the United States.

Action Guide: Trafficking Prevention for Youth in Philadelphia

Published June 5, 2023

For Philadelphia, one of our initial focus cities under the initiative, we created this action guide with and for local stakeholders to help prevent trafficking of the local vulnerable youth population.

Criminal Record Relief for Trafficking Survivors

Updated April 20, 2023

Polaris released a new report grading all 50 states and D.C. on their criminal record relief laws for human trafficking survivors. Since the first report in 2019, 17 states responded to the call for better statutes that are more inclusive and easier to access, while two states actually reversed their progress.

In Harm’s Way: How Systems Fail Human Trafficking Survivors

Published January 25, 2023

The National Survivor Study used the experience and expertise from survivors to create a detailed picture of the arc of trafficking.

Action Guide: Trafficking Prevention for Homeless Youth in Louisville

Published December 15, 2022

For Louisville, we created this action guide with and for local stakeholders to help prevent trafficking of the local homeless youth population.

Action Guide: Trafficking Prevention for LGBTQ+ Communities in San Diego

Published September 29, 2022

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

Polaris Letter of Support for the ENABLERS Act

Published September 22, 2022

Polaris sent a letter to House and Senate leadership urging them to include the ENABLERS Act in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. This legislation closes a loophole that allows some businesses to skirt anti-money laundering responsibilities.

Credit Repair Process for Survivors of Human Trafficking

Updated August 11, 2022

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a U.S. government agency responsible for overseeing financial products and services for consumers, has published details of a new process for victims and survivors of trafficking to block adverse information from their credit reports that resulted from their trafficking experience. This fact sheet was created to provide survivors and advocates with additional information about this process.

Labor Trafficking On Specific Temporary Work Visas Report

Published July 12, 2022

Data from the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline shows that guest workers who come to this country legally are frequently exploited and victimized by forced labor and other forms of trafficking.

The Future of Human Rights on web3

Published June 9, 2022

Polaris, a technology-enabled NGO that fights sex and labor trafficking, uses its multidisciplinary expertise on human trafficking and applied cryptography to outline a vision for web3 that will empower and protect vulnerable communities while holding perpetrators of abuse and crimes accountable.

Nonechka

Published May 13, 2022

Nonechka means “close to you” in Nahuatl, one of the many indigenous languages spoken in Mexico. Polaris’s partner organizations distribute information via text and phone messages to inform workers about their rights and the services available where they are.

Trafficking Hotline Share Graphics

Published February 14, 2022

Education is key to expanding the reach and effectiveness of the Trafficking Hotline. Share Polaris’s infographics to help educate friends and family about what trafficking actually looks like.

Love & Trafficking: Social Media Toolkit

Updated February 1, 2022

This toolkit contains social media graphics and videos available for download to share with your networks and audiences to help them understand the grooming process and how sex trafficking really happens.

Essential Guide for H-2A Visa Sponsors

Published November 4, 2021

This toolkit provides an overview of the risks of labor trafficking inherent in the H-2A visa program and helps you understand how to protect your workers. By protecting your workers, you will also protect your business.

Human Trafficking 101

Published October 12, 2021

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.

Telling the Real Story of Human Trafficking

Published October 8, 2021

Stories have the power to change things, for better and for worse. This detailed guide is designed to help content-creators for any medium tell compelling, realistic stories of human trafficking.

Recruitment, Human Trafficking, and Temporary Visa Workers

Published August 15, 2021

Data from the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline identified 4,816 likely victims from January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2020 who were in the United States and legally working under at least eight different temporary visas. The purpose of this brief is to examine the roles recruitment practices, regulations, and enforcement play in the experiences of trafficking victims who are in the United States on temporary worker visas.

Guía esencial para trabajadores del campo

Published July 8, 2021

Conozca y exija sus derechos y protecciones bajo la visa H-2A. Con este tipo de visa, puede trabajar legalmente en la industria agrícola en los Estados Unidos.

Sexual Exploitation During the Pandemic

Published July 8, 2021

An examination of the number of daily situations of sex trafficking reported to the Trafficking Hotline indicates a possible shift in where likely sex trafficking involving online sexual exploitation was happening during the pandemic. This in turn highlights how traffickers quickly adapt to changing contexts and the challenges and opportunities this poses to those trying to reduce and prevent sex trafficking.

Labor Exploitation and Trafficking of Agricultural Workers During the Pandemic

Published June 23, 2021

There was a more than 70% increase in reported likely labor trafficking victims who held H-2A visas that authorizes the work of migrant agricultural workers in the United States. In addition to other abuses, one-third of these individuals complained about being denied medical attention, while they were deemed essential by the United States Government.

Countering QAnon: Understanding the Role of Human Trafficking in the Disinformation-Extremist Nexus

Published February 8, 2021

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.

Child Sex Trafficking Share Graphics

Published August 1, 2020

This social media toolkit includes graphics and a video available for download to educate your friends, family, and followers on what we know about child sex trafficking. You can also visit us on Instagram to share our story highlight and tag us.

Crisis in Human Trafficking During the Pandemic

Published June 10, 2020

This data brief includes analysis of relevant data from the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline to examine the potential impact of COVID-19 pandemic on victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking.

Pride Month Social Media Toolkit

Published June 1, 2020

The toolkit contains social media graphics available for download to help ensure vulnerable populations have access to services and safety through the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline.

The Latino Face of Human Trafficking and Exploitation in the United States

Published April 24, 2020

This report analyzes data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline and exposes the types of trafficking in which populations from Latin American and the Caribbean are victimized in the United States.

Bidirectional Communication Pilot Project in the Agricultural Sector of San Luis Potosí, Mexico

Published January 15, 2020

Workers in Mexico’s agricultural sector disproportionately come from poor and marginalized communities and are extremely vulnerable to labor trafficking.

The 2019 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act: A Topical Summary and Analysis of Four Bills

Published January 14, 2020

This analysis of the 2019 TVPA looks at how these bills work together to change the U.S. Government policy regime and laws related to human trafficking.

Human Trafficking at Home: Labor Trafficking of Domestic Workers

Published July 1, 2019

Isolated working conditions, limited legal protections and vulnerabilities mean that some domestic workers become victims of labor exploitation and trafficking.

Sex Trafficking and LGBTQ+ Youth

Updated June 1, 2019

Sex Trafficking and LGBTQ Youth, made possible by the support of the Palette Fund, provides an introduction to sex trafficking for LGBTQ+ youth providers and others.

How to Identify Potential Victims of Human Trafficking – Latin America

Published June 1, 2019

Polaris trained staff of the consulates of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras on how to identify potential victims of human trafficking.

State Report Cards: Grading Criminal Record Relief Laws for Survivors of Human Trafficking

Published March 1, 2019

We offer detailed report cards for each state, assessing what works and what doesn't in their laws - if they have one - and providing clear steps for improvement.

Fighting Human Trafficking Across the U.S.-Mexico Border

Updated September 1, 2018

Every day, powerful criminal networks and individual traffickers on both sides of the border recruit people for labor or sexual exploitation.

Sex Trafficking in or from Latin America

Published September 1, 2018

Women and girls from Latin America, particularly from Mexico, are vulnerable to trafficking in many places that look, to the outside world, like normal bars and restaurants or private homes.

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.

Human Trafficking on Temporary Work Visas: A Data Analysis 2015-2017

Published June 1, 2018

This report analyzes data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline and spotlights how human traffickers are weaponizing structural flaws within the temporary work visa system.

Systemic Change Matrix: Disrupting and Preventing Human Trafficking

Published May 31, 2018

This matrix depicts the 25 major types of human trafficking in the United States, cross-referenced with eight highlighted systems and industries.

Landscape Analysis: Human Trafficking for the Purpose of Labor Exploitation in Mexico

Published May 9, 2018

This report gathers information on labor trafficking cases in Mexico, reports on the social composition of victims and the characteristics of the populations that are most at risk, and suggests ways to develop comprehensive approaches to contribute to its eradication.

Hidden in Plain Sight: How Corporate Secrecy Facilitates Human Trafficking in Illicit Massage Parlors

Published April 1, 2018

Illicit massage businesses have been ubiquitous in the American landscape for decades. Today, new research finds an estimated 9,000-plus of these businesses are operating in every state in the country.

Join the Solution

Published November 15, 2017

A Polaris campaign, "Join the Solution," invites the Latino and Hispanic community to learn about sex trafficking and take action by calling the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Human Trafficking and the Opioid Crisis

Published July 1, 2017

Beginning in January 2015, Polaris has been working to further understand the relationship between drugs and human trafficking using data collected through the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

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.

Reaching Out for Help: A Guide for LGBTQ Youth on How to Receive Support and Services from the National Human Trafficking Hotline

Published December 1, 2016

Reaching out to a hotline for help can be daunting. This can be especially true for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals.