There are many ways to help combat human trafficking besides donating money! You can contact your elected representatives about supporting important legislation to combat the crime and help survivors. You can learn more about how human trafficking really works and help educate others. And you can volunteer in your community to fight not just trafficking but the factors that lead to trafficking – including poverty, addiction and hopelessness.
Tell Congress to Support the Trafficking Hotline
Over the last four years, total contacts to the National Human Trafficking Hotline have surged by 40% compared to the first 12 years of operation. But federal funding has not kept pace: The government provides only 35% of the total resources the Hotline needs. Contact your Members of Congress today to ask them to increase annual funding for the Hotline — so that more victims and survivors can get the help they need and take their next steps on their journeys to freedom.
Help Support the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act
Research finds that many human trafficking survivors report having some kind of criminal record as a result of being trafficked. The Trafficking Survivors Relief Act will provide a pathway for survivors to clear federal convictions from their records and move on with their lives in true, legal freedom. Passing this bill is a crucial step forward for victims and survivors and will help them clear their records and offer them an opportunity to start anew. Contact your Representative and Senators and ask them to support this bill.
Help End Human Trafficking in U.S. Prisons
Did you know that the 13th Amendment did not entirely abolish slavery in the United States? There was an exception left in the Constitution: Unpaid prison labor. Unscrupulous corporations and governments have used this exception to plug holes in their budgets and turn profits for decades. This is trafficking, and it is not acceptable in modern-day society.
Listen to Survivors: Protect the National Human Trafficking Hotline
Introduced this year, the National Human Trafficking Hotline Enhancement Act (H.R. 2601) would require the operator of the Trafficking Hotline to turn over information shared by the public to state and local law enforcement on demand, regardless of whether or not an adult trafficking victim consents to the involvement of law enforcement. Victims of human trafficking must be able to control when to involve law enforcement in their trafficking situations. This bill will compromise victims’ safety and put their lives at risk — and cause them to stop contacting the Trafficking Hotline altogether. Contact your Representative, and ask them to oppose H.R. 2601.
Raise Awareness About Trafficking and Grooming
Understanding the realities of how love is often used as a weapon in situations of human trafficking is critical to preventing it. Learn more about the grooming process and what love doesn’t look like. Share our videos and graphics on social media to expand awareness of what human trafficking really looks like — directly from the experiences of survivors.
Human Trafficking Training
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. Take our free introductory course, Human Trafficking 101, to learn what human trafficking really is, how it happens, and how you can be part of the solution.
Ready to take even more action?
If you are looking to help but haven’t found exactly what you are looking for – take a look at all of our active actions. Or check out even more ways to help.