Please help us build a loving and caring home for exploited youth.  We are raising one million dollars to break ground, in Kansas City, Missouri for this important venture.  Your generous donation of any amount is greatly appreciated, please click our donate button below and follow the prompts. Thank you so much.

​

Read the following excerpt (from an article by Carmen Niethammer with Forbes) to learn more about Human Trafficking: Human trafficking is a $150 billion business, Carmen Niethammer Forbes magazine contributor, February 2, 2020.  Global statistics on human trafficking are on the rise:  every day thousands of women, men and children are trafficked worldwide for various exploitive purposes. The Internal Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that there are currently 25 million victims of human trafficking around the world.

Traffickers often help trafficked individuals open bank accounts and/or apply for credit cards. They use banks and money remittance services to funnel money—often large amounts of cash. Moreover, traffickers frequently accompany victims to financial institutions to monitor the transaction and structure deposits to fall just under thresholds which could trigger investigation by financial institutions.
 

To limit their interactions with traditional financial institutions, traffickers often revert to a growing use of virtual currencies like bitcoin, which can foster a conducive environment for laundering money from criminal activity. Yet, computer analysts have pioneered techniques that provide new insights into human-trafficking networks.

According to research by Polaris, traffickers don’t always look for the cheapest hotels.  They choose locations based on convenience, buyer comfort, price, hotel policies and procedures. An important decision-making point for traffickers often is whether the establishment is likely to be collaborating with potential law enforcement. Hence, hotel chain franchises often are traffickers’ preferred choice as they offer a sense of anonymity and safety.

There is growing evidence on the range of health consequences faced by individuals who have experienced human trafficking. This can include sexual and reproductive health issues, mental health concerns, on-the-job injuries caused by unsafe working conditions, and issues related to substance use. In fact, research suggest that traffickers often seek out drug rehabilitation centers as well as behavioral and mental health centers to recruit their victims, given their potential vulnerability to becoming dependent and being controlled.

Having endured trauma, often lacking self-confidence and having very limited access to resources, survivors can easily end up back in situations of exploitation if they cannot turn to a strong support system. Thus, job readiness efforts by potential employers and access to financial resources can be critical to survivors of human trafficking.

Irrespectively of governments’ plans and policies, the private sector can play a larger role in addressing the issue. What’s more, as customers each one of us can encourage financial service providers, hotels, health care companies and transportation providers in our communities to join forces. Public-private sector action can ensure that victims of human trafficking are not left voiceless and don’t remain unseen by society.

By Carmen Niethammer with Forbes