Stop Modern Slavery Group
Toolkit
A “How To” Guide for Community Members Looking to Create a Community
Group To Stop Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery
Developed by:
DC Stop Modern Slavery Group
Supported by:
Polaris Project and The Emancipation Network (TEN)
Dear Community Member,
Thank you for your interest in starting a Stop Modern Slavery Group in your community to stop human
trafficking! Grassroots community action is critical in the fight to end modern-day slavery, and your
efforts to mobilize your community to action will help build and strengthen the anti-trafficking
movement in the United States and abroad.
It is our hope that the information and resources provided in this guide will help you to start and run
your Stop Modern Slavery Group. The Toolkit provides an at-a-glance look at the Amazing Change
Campaign, the Not For Sale Campaign, and the basics about Stop Modern Slavery Groups. It also
includes information and tips to help your group get started, great ideas for meetings, events, and
activities, a case study of the DC Stop Modern Slavery Group, resources, handouts, and a variety of
other useful tools.
This toolkit has been designed based on the experiences of the DC Stop Modern Slavery Group.
While the Toolkit provides numerous ideas on how to foster community involvement and engage
community members in the fight to end human trafficking, please don’t let it stifle your creativity!
There are endless possibilities of ways to spread the word that “Slavery Still Exists” and take action
against human trafficking. Each individual has skills, talents, and ideas to contribute to the antitrafficking movement. Don’t underestimate the power you and members of your community have to
create social change!
Understanding that grassroots community mobilization is an essential element of a comprehensive
social justice movement, we are working towards a vision of helping to support hundreds of Stop
Modern Slavery Groups in cities and localities nationwide! Together, we will build a peer-to-peer
network of community groups that are each working in their own way to stop modern-day slavery.
If you have any questions, comments, feedback, or ideas, please feel free to get in touch with us!
•
•
Elizabeth Rhodes, Polaris Project: [email protected], 202-745-1001
Becky Bavinger, The Emancipation Network (TEN): [email protected], 1-800-8316089x8
Welcome to the grassroots movement to end modern-day slavery in our lifetime!
The DC Stop Modern Slavery Group Co-Organizers
Elizabeth Rhodes and Becky Bavinger
Table of Contents
About Stop Modern Slavery Groups
Tips on How To Start a Stop Modern Slavery Group
Grab Bag of Ideas and Suggested Activities
Polaris Project’s Slavery Still Exists Campaign
The Emancipation Network (TEN)
Case Study: DC Stop Modern Slavery Group
Resources
- Useful Links
- Book List
- Film/Movie List
Materials
- Stop Modern Slavery Group Sign-up Sheet
- Polaris Project Information Sign-up Sheet
- Human Trafficking Cheat Sheet
- Common Myths and Misconceptions
- Understanding the Victims’ Mindsets and World View
- Indicators and Red Flags
- A Conceptual Model to Understand the Federal Framework of the Crime, as Defined in the
Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000
- U.S. Policy Alert (to receive regular updates, maps, and alerts on legislative developments on
trafficking in the United States go to www.polarisproject.org and click on “U.S. Policy Alert”
under the Quick Links)
- Tips on Policy Advocacy
- Top 11 Ways to Fight Slavery
- Key Numbers to Call About Human Trafficking Tips, Referrals, and Reports
About Stop Modern Slavery Groups
Sto p Mo d er n S la ve ry Gr o up s
O ur Miss io n
Stop Modern Slavery Groups aim to fight human trafficking through grassroots community action.
Sto p Mo d er n S la ve ry Gr o up s
Stop Modern Slavery Groups are local community groups of diverse individuals committed to ending
modern-day slavery and building and strengthening the anti-trafficking movement.
So me H ist ory
In October 2004, Polaris Project helped form the DC Fight Human Trafficking Meetup. The purpose
of the group, now known as the DC Stop Modern Slavery Group, is to bring community members
together to take action against human trafficking. While we currently receive support and strategic
guidance form Polaris Project and The Emancipation Network (TEN), we are community led and
driven. Since 2004, over 300 individuals have joined our effort. Currently, we have about 40
members who meet on a monthly basis and our number of active members is growing. We have
engaged in awareness events, policy advocacy, community organizing, group dialogues, selling
survivor-made products, co-sponsoring workshops and forums, and fundraising for local non-profits
working to combat human trafficking.
In an effort to ignite and support community action, we are now working to assist other communities
to start their own Stop Modern Slavery Groups and create a peer-to-peer network. In doing so, we
hope to strengthen The Amazing Change Campaign, Not For Sale Campaign, and the anti-trafficking
movement at large.
Website: www.stopmodernslavery.org coming soon!
Th e A mazi n g C h an g e C a mp ai g n
In conjunction with the release of the film Amazing Grace, Bristol Bay launched The Amazing Change
Campaign, an integrated social justice campaign aimed at: increasing literacy about the historical
issues of slavery and the abolitionist movement; raising awareness about modern-day slavery and
other forms of oppression; motivating people to get involved to abolish slavery; raising a new
generation of youth who care about suffering in the world and become abolitionists; engaging new
activists in a life-long journey to invest their time, influence, and resources back in the world;
providing much-needed funding to organizations that are working to abolish slavery.
Website: www.theamazingchange.com
No t For Sa le C a mp ai gn
It’s going to take a movement to stop modern-day slavery so the Not For Sale Campaign is building
one, and everyone’s invited! Not For Sale Campaign is a campaign of individuals, musicians, artists,
people of faith, businesses, schools and sports teams united to stop it.
Website: www.notforsalecampaign.org
Mee t up. co m
Meetup.com is a national networking site designed to facilitate local community groups on various
topics. We utilize Meetup.com to communicate with our existing members about upcoming meetings
and events and to recruit new members. You may find Meetup.com to be a useful tool for your Stop
Modern Slavery Group.
Website: www.meetup.com
Tips on How To Start a Stop Modern Slavery Group
Le ar n an d B e In for me d
• Educate yourself about modern-day slavery and all its different forms – read books, watch
movies, read media articles, search the Web, and ask lots of questions. For useful links and
information see the Resources and Sample Materials sections of this Toolkit.
Fi nd Me mbe rs for yo ur St op Mod er n Sl av ery Gro up
• Group Description: Write a short (one or two paragraph) description of your group, including
the mission of Stop Modern Slavery Groups, why people should join your Stop Modern Slavery
Group, meeting details, and contact information.
• Flyers: Create a punchy informational flyer with your group’s description to hang in local
coffee shops, gyms, community centers, public restrooms, offices, and schools’ bulletin
boards.
• Advertisements: Send your group description to local newspapers, church bulletins, local
email listservs, and school newsletters.
• Announcements: If you belong to a church, community group, or school group ask to make
an announcement about your group.
Fi nd a V e nue for yo ur Me eti n gs
• The following are examples of where you may be able to host your meetings:
o Coffee Shops, cafes, or restaurants
o Churches (Meeting rooms)
o Community Centers (Elks Club, Junior League, Key Club, Rotary Club, etc.)
o Schools (Elementary, high school, or college – also ask PTA groups)
o Offices and other places of work (especially non-profit buildings)
• Pick a meeting day and time. It will be easier to ask for a meeting space if you have a specific
day and time in mind.
• Ask around. Others may have ideas for meeting locations.
• Phone Calls, Meetings, and “Walk Ins.” When you’re ready to inquire about a venue, make a
phone call, plan an in person meeting, or simply walk in to the potential venue. Be sure to:
o Introduce yourself as an organizer for your group.
o Explain the purpose of your group.
o Ask if there is available meeting space on the day/time you want.
o Ask if there is a cost, and if so ask if the price can be lowered or exempted because
your group is for a social justice cause and is not funded.
o Follow up with a phone call.
Mee t wi th Yo ur Sto p Mo d ern S la ver y Gr o up an d Co me U p w it h a Pl a n
• Interests: Modern-day slavery has many different forms, and there’s a wide array of things that
you can do in the anti-trafficking movement. As a group, discuss what issues you’re most
passionate about and what kinds of efforts you’re most interested in engaging in over the next
year, two years, etc. Because many people are unaware of the many different forms of
modern-day slavery, be prepared to discuss general points about human trafficking and
•
•
•
answer questions. See the Materials section for informational materials you can hand out to
members of your group.
Strengths: The anti-trafficking movement needs your skills, talents, ideas, and connections whatever you’ve got. Identify the strengths of your group and how you can utilize those
strengths to effectively fight modern-day slavery and build the movement.
Focus: In order to be most effective, evaluate your interests and strengths, determine what
your group wants to focus on, and prioritize the efforts that you are interested in undertaking.
Plan: Come up with specific goals and objectives. Brainstorm ways you can achieve your
goals and objectives and establish a realistic timeline. Write up your plan, send it to all of your
group members, and reference it often. Remember to discuss how often your group will meet
and set dates for the next 6 meetings. This will allow people to have time to plan to attend the
meetings.
Kee p Co mmunity Me mbe rs Co mi n g B ack an d Incre as e Yo ur Me mbe rs hi p
• Assign Tasks: To get your members involved, ask them to volunteer to complete simple tasks
by the next meeting. These can include:
o Trafficking news updates
o Policy advocacy and legislative research
o Event planning and fundraising
• Bring (or ask other members to bring) drinks and snacks
• End on a positive note: Human trafficking is a complex and distressing issue so it is important
to end your meetings with a message of hope. Always provide stories of positive change and
ways for members to take action.
• Sports: Host a soccer, football, or softball game in a public space. Have your members wear
similar T-shirts (such as a “Slavery Still Exists” t-shirts that Polaris Project sells on
goodstorm.com) so that bystanders will learn about your group and the issue. Hand out flyers
to advertise your group and recruit new members.
• Happy Hours, Dinners, and Movie Nights: When group members get to know each other,
they will be more likely to continue to attend meetings. Activities in addition to your regular
meetings are also a great way to get people who might not otherwise attend a meeting to
learn about human trafficking, your group, and ways they can get involved in the antitrafficking movement.
Grab Bag of Ideas and Suggested Activities
The following are ideas for meetings and activities for your Stop Modern Slavery Group. Use these
suggestions, modify them, or come up with your own ideas. Most importantly, be creative and run
your meetings in the way that will most effectively educate and engage members of your community!
Dis cus s how h uman tr affi cki n g a nd sl av ery can occur i n d iffere nt fo r ms wit hi n t he U S.
Educate your group about the many types of trafficking and slavery that can occur in the US. Print out
relevant informational materials included in the Materials section and hand them out during your
meeting so members of your group have information to read and take home.
Tip: Encourage group members to share what they learned with their family, friends, and colleagues
and spread the word that slavery still exists.
Pr es ent i nfor ma tio n on a h uma n tr a ffickin g cas e a n d l ea d a di scussi o n.
Find news articles about human trafficking cases that occurred in your local area, in the United States,
or abroad, and discuss the issues involved in the cases.
Tip: You can sign up for Google Alerts that provide email updates of the latest relevant Google results
(web, news, etc.) based on your choice of topic. Go to www.google.com/alerts and search for
human trafficking and modern-day slavery to start receiving news about related cases.
Invi te a gues t s pe a ker to y o ur meet i ng.
People who work in the anti-trafficking field are often eager to talk to community members. They can
help educate your group about human trafficking and slavery, teach you about what they are doing to
combat it, and discuss their views on ways to move towards a world without slavery. They can also
suggest ways for your group to get involved in the anti-trafficking movement on the local, national,
and international level.
Tips: Contact potential guest speakers one month in advance so that they can plan and prepare to
speak to you.
Some guest speakers have topics they would like to discuss, while others may ask you to prepare a list
of questions you would like them to address.
Remind the guest speaker three days before your meeting, and write a thank you card to present at
the event or send afterwards.
Invi te a r ep re se nt ati ve fr o m a no th er co mmun ity g ro up to yo ur me eti ng.
Human trafficking and modern-day slavery are issues that intersect with many other topics, such as
gender violence, racism, globalization, fair trade, and the spread of HIV/AIDS. Invite a representative
from a community group that deals with an issue related to human trafficking to speak at your
meeting. This kind of speaker cannot only help educate your group, but also stimulate conversation
about cross-sectoral linkages between various social justice issues.
Tips: Other community groups are often open to collaboration. Explore how your groups can work
together to promote both causes and work together to achieve mutual goals.
Check out Meetup.com to find other community groups.
Scre e n a fi l m a bo ut h uman tr affi cki n g a nd h av e a di scussi on a ft erw ar ds.
Films about human trafficking and modern-day slavery are powerful tools for educating. See the
Film/Movielist in the Resources section of the Toolkit for suggestions on films to screen at your
meeting. After the screening, discuss the issues and ideas explored in the film and brainstorm ways
your group and others can address these issues.
Tip: Be sure to allow people to talk about how they feel about what they saw. Often people are
deeply affected by films about human trafficking and slavery, and it is important to give them space to
express and process their thoughts.
Dis cus s t he di ffe re n ce s b etw e en h uman s mug gli n g a n d h uma n tr affi cki n g.
While human smuggling and human trafficking are similar in some respects, they are different is
several important ways. For instance, according to the UNODC, a major difference “is that
smuggling ends with the arrival of the migrants at their destination, whereas trafficking involves the
ongoing exploitation of the victims in some manner to generate illicit profits for the traffickers.”
Discuss the similarities between human smuggling and human trafficking, how they are related, and
how they are different.
Tip: Check out the U.S. Department of State’s website for information on human smuggling and
human trafficking at http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/fs/2005/57345.htm
Dis cus s t he sta t us o f an ti -tr afficki n g l eg isl at i on i n yo ur s ta te an d op por t un iti es for
pol icy a dv o ca cy.
Many states have passed anti-trafficking legislation. Other states are in the process of considering
new laws that would make human trafficking illegal and provide protection and services to victims.
Discuss the status of anti-trafficking legislation in your state and why anti-trafficking legislation at the
state level is important. If relevant, generate ideas on how your group can advocate for stronger antitrafficking policy. See “Tips on Policy Advocacy” included in this toolkit.
Tips: For information about the status of legislation in your state and a version of a model state law
against human trafficking see Polaris Project’s website:
http://www.polarisproject.org/polarisproject/programs_p3/State_p3.htm
Sign up on Polaris Project’s website to receive regular Policy Alerts and information about antitrafficking policy advocacy efforts in your state so you can stay informed.
Dis cus s t he sta t us o f pro stit utio n -r el ate d la w s in yo ur st ate a nd op po rt un iti es fo r
pol icy a dv o ca cy.
All states have prostitution-related laws. There is a high risk of sex trafficking within the commercial
sex industry, and many instances of organized commercial sex that may not rise to the legal definition
of trafficking are still very highly exploitative and abusive in nature. Discuss whether prostitutionrelated laws in your state can be reformed to: move toward decriminalization of these victims of
exploitation and the creation of services for those at high risk of trafficking; increase the penalties for
the pimps, brothel keepers, organizers and profiteers of the industry; and address the demand through
increased penalties and education programs for consumers of commercial sex.
Dis cus s t he re lat io ns hi p bet we e n t he gl a mo ri zati o n o f p i mp cul t ure a nd h uman
tra ffi ckin g for se xual e xp loi tat io n i n t h e U. S.
It is clear that U.S. pimps engage in behaviors that meet the Federal definition of human trafficking, as
evidenced by past Federal sex trafficking cases (See U.S. v Pipkins, U.S. v. Brice, U.S. v Curtis).
However, while pimps can more accurately be referred to as human traffickers, they are still glorified
in our culture. Think of the role of glorification and normalization of pimps in songs about pimps, or
TV shows called “Pimp My Ride,” or those “Pimp n Ho” parties. Discuss the issues of glorification and
normalization of pimps and brainstorm ways your group can change the way people view pimping
and think about human trafficking.
Tip: Show examples of how pimping is glamorized by bringing movies, songs, TV shows, and products
that promote or celebrate pimping to your meeting. See the Film/Movielist in the Resource section of
the Toolkit for suggestions.
Dis cus s w h at me mb ers of th e No t For Sa le C a mp ai g n ar e doi n g a n d s ee ho w y o u ca n
get i nvo lv ed
Go to the Not For Sale Campaign website and check out what members of the campaign are doing
to stop modern-day slavery. Discuss Free To Play, Free To Create, Free to Learn, and other efforts,
and talk about what your group could do to get involved in these efforts.
Tip: Reach out to others in your community, like sports teams, schools, musicians, and artists and urge
them to get involved in the Not For Sale Campaign.
Hos t a n aw ar en es s-ra isi n g e ve nt in yo ur co mmunit y.
Plan an event to raise awareness about modern-day slavery in your community. Print out
informational materials to hand out. Have a Stop Modern Slavery Group Sign-up Sheet at the event
and encourage community members to sign up and join your Group (Use the Stop Modern Slavery
Group Sign-up Sheet in the Materials section of the Toolkit).
Tip: For suggestions on how to host an awareness-raising event see Spotlight on Polaris Project’s
Slavery Still Exists Campaign in the Toolkit.
Fun dr ai se fo r a n an ti -tr affi cki n g or g an iz ati o n.
Donating to an anti-trafficking organization is one of the most direct and important ways you can help
combat human trafficking. Be creative in planning a fundraising event and research carefully to
determine to which organization you will donate.
Tip: For fundraising ideas, please see the DC Stop Modern Slavery Group case study or contact
[email protected].
Pro vi de vo l unt e er o pti o ns for me mber s o f y o ur gr o up.
Identify volunteer opportunities in the anti-trafficking and anti-slavery field and present them to
members of your group. Many organizations have volunteer positions for: direct and indirect client
services, language translation, event planning, on-call advocacy, research, website design and
updating, and data entry.
Tip: Local anti-trafficking and anti-slavery organizations often have many needs that volunteers can
fulfill. If they do not have a formal volunteer program, tell them about your skills and ask how you
can help support their organization.
Build th e A nt i-t ra ffi cki ng Mov e me nt.
Create a list of members of your community that you would like to get involved in the anti-trafficking
movement – students, politicians, artists, musicians, store owners, cab drivers, etc. Brainstorm and
come up with a plan to can engage them, and then do it! Remember to take Sign-up sheets with you!
Tips: Check out the Not For Sale Campaign to see how artists, musicians, sports teams, etc. are
getting involved in the anti-trafficking movement
Encourage students to join the Campus Coalition Against Trafficking, a grassroots student movement
to end modern-day slavery. Check out www.ccatcoalition.org
For more ideas on how to engage various members of your community contact Polaris Project at
[email protected]
Slavery Still Exists Campaign At-a-Glance | Polaris Project
“Slavery Still Exists”
A National Grassroots Public Awareness Campaign of Polaris Project
Polaris Project launched its “Slavery Still Exists” national grassroots public awareness campaign in
Spring 2006 to help build and strengthen the anti-trafficking movement in the United States and
abroad. Since its launch, thousands of community members have joined the campaign and used their
creative ideas to spread the message that “Slavery Still Exists.” Raising public awareness and getting
the word out about human trafficking and modern-day slavery are essential parts of the effectiveness of
the anti-trafficking movement. This document is intended to summarize different parts of the “Slavery
Still Exists” campaign and provide ideas for any community member looking to get involved!
GRASSROOTS PHOTOGRAPHS – TAKE A STAND BY TAKING YOUR PICTURE
One of the simplest and most effortless ways to join the Polaris Project campaign is to take a photo of
yourself holding a hand-made sign that says the words “Slavery Still Exists.” Digital photos are
preferable because they can be easily e-mailed. Then, get your family members, friends, colleagues,
and classmates to take pictures too! People often get creative when designing their own sign or their
own photo, and it’s a powerful experience to take your own photo and see hundreds of individuals’
photos displayed together. Some sample photos are included below, and hundreds more photos can
be viewed at the campaign’s Web site: www.slaverystillexists.org
As the campaign has developed over the past year, the following are some ideas that different
community members have tried. Any of these ideas can be implemented in your own community!
ƒ 1) Hold a “Slavery Still Exists” Photo Table on a given day at a central location and try to fill
your camera with as many different photos as you can. Putting on an event is easy. All you
need is a stack of blank paper, some markers, and a digital camera! These types of events
can be held at a school, a business, a college campus, or a church. Then, you can display
the photos for all to see.
ƒ 2) Get Everyone in your Class or Your Sports Team to Take Their Photo and hold a discussion
about human trafficking and modern-day slavery while you take the photos.
ƒ 3) Ask Community Leaders to Take Their Photos too! When Mayors, business leaders, church
leaders, and other community leaders join the campaign, it makes a big difference.
Contact us at [email protected] with additional questions or to send in photos. Photos can also
be submitted individually online through the Slavery Still Exists web site at www.slaverystillexists.org
under the Take Action section.
Note: If you take a photo, or get others to take photos, please be sure that everyone signs a release
form so that all photos can be included as part of the campaign. A sample release form is on pg. 5.
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Slavery Still Exists Campaign At-a-Glance | Polaris Project
“SLAVERY STILL EXISTS” T-SHIRTS – DESIGN AND WEAR A SHIRT TO RAISE AWARENESS
T-shirts with the message “Slavery Still Exists” have been developed as another component of the
campaign. Different types of shirts have been designed, both by Polaris Project, and by different
student groups and community groups across the country. All the shirts have different sizes, colors,
and fonts, yet they all contain the slogan that “Slavery Still Exists.”
Below are some photos of sample shirts that have been designed. Polaris Project’s shirts and homemade shirts are both displayed:
If you are interested in wearing a “Slavery Still Exists” shirt, we encourage you to either buy one or
design and make your own!
ƒ 1) Polaris Project’s Slavery Still Exists Shirts are Available for Purchase Online through
Goodstorm.com at www.goodstorm.com/stores/Polaris_Project You can choose the shirt you
want, and it will be mailed to you! Plus, a percentage of all proceeds go to support Polaris
Project’s programs!
ƒ 2) All Community Members Are Encouraged to Design Their Own Shirts Too! If you have
ideas for other shirt designs and would like you make your own shirts, please feel free!
ƒ 3) Get Your Family, Friends, Colleagues, and Classmates to Wear Shirts as well. A group of
people all wearing the shirts at one time sends a great message of solidarity.
“SLAVERY STILL EXISTS” PRODUCTS – MAKING OTHER TYPES OF PRODUCTS TO RAISE AWARENESS
As the campaign has grown in an organic way in different communities, various individuals have
taken the initiative to design a whole array of “Slavery Still Exists” products that serve as good ideas of
things you can do too! Polaris Project volunteers and others have designed buttons, bumper stickers,
post cards, posters, banners, and message boards. A sample post card, bumper sticker, and buttons
are displayed below. As you join the campaign, all community members are encouraged to get
creative about different products you may want to design and use. There are endless possibilities!
Note: If you develop new types of products, please mail us samples to help us get the word out about
your ideas!
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Slavery Still Exists Campaign At-a-Glance | Polaris Project
WEAVE THE THEME OF “SLAVERY STILL EXISTS” INTO DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMMUNITY EVENTS AND FAIRS
Including the theme or slogan of “Slavery Still Exists” into community events has been a wonderful
strategy of different community groups around the country towards raising public awareness and
building the anti-trafficking movement. If you are putting on any sort of event in your community,
such as a play, a concert, a conference, a workshop, a dance, a dinner party, a book club, a cooking
club, or a rally, you may want to brainstorm ways that you can use the event as a chance to spread
the word that “Slavery Still Exists.” Because the event already has momentum and planning put into it,
you can capitalize on that momentum and reach large numbers of people with relatively little effort.
HOLD A SPECIFIC “SLAVERY STILL EXISTS” EVENT OR EXHIBIT
Some communities across the country have joined the “Slavery Still Exists” campaign by designing a
specific “Slavery Still Exists” event. Displayed below is a photo of a “Slavery Still Exists” event that was
held on the UCLA campus and spearheaded by Polaris Project’s UCLA chapter:
The following are some “Slavery Still Exists” event ideas that have been explored in different areas:
ƒ 1) Hold a “Slavery Still Exists” Week in Your Community or Your College Campus. During the
week, you can have different speakers, workshops, media involvement, and movie screenings.
Polaris Project’s Colorado chapter has held two of these weeks for two consecutive years!
ƒ 2) Design a “Slavery Still Exists” Photography or Art Exhibit. If you have access to a number of
photos or pieces of art-work that depict forms of modern-day slavery, it might be a good idea
to create an exhibit to display them!
ƒ 3) Put on a Concert with Local Bands and Musicians with the Theme of “Slavery Still Exists”
Call some of your local bands playing concerts at a local club, and ask them to mention that
“Slavery Still Exists” during their set of music.
ENGAGE CELEBRITIES IN THE “SLAVERY STILL EXISTS” CAMPAIGN
If you are connected to any celebrities through your social networks or you will be attending an event
in your local area where a celebrity will be featured, we suggest approaching them about the message
that “Slavery Still Exists” and inviting them to join the campaign! Celebrities can play a huge role in
building the anti-trafficking movement and raising awareness, both in the United States and abroad.
Below, you’ll see how Polaris Project engaged Susan Sarandon and Noam Chomsky to join:
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Slavery Still Exists Campaign At-a-Glance | Polaris Project
Note: Email photos to [email protected] so that they can be added to the broader campaign! If
you have physical hard copy photos, mail them to us and we can scan them in. Photos can also be
submitted online through the Slavery Still Exists web site at www.slaverystillexists.org
MOST IMPORTANTLY – JOIN THE CAMPAIGN IN YOUR OWN WAY!
Even though this document provides numerous suggestions on how to join the campaign, please
don’t let it stifle your creativity! Please don’t box in your own thinking, or assume that Polaris Project
has expectations of one standardized way you can join. Quite the opposite, there literally are endless
possibilities of ways to spread the message that “Slavery Still Exists” once you open your mind and
start to experiment! We challenge you to come up with a new part of the campaign that no one has
tried before.
COMMUNICATING WITH POLARIS PROJECT
If you have any questions, comments, feedback, or ideas, please feel free to get in touch with us!
Polaris Project’s national headquarters in Washington, DC can be reached through the following
contact information:
ƒ Main Point of Contact: Elizabeth Rhodes
ƒ Phone: 202-745-1001
ƒ Fax: 202-745-1119
ƒ Email: [email protected]
ƒ Mail: Polaris Project, P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013
ƒ Web site: www.polarisproject.org
ƒ Campaign Web site: www.slaverystillexists.org
ƒ Join Polaris Project’s Grassroots Network (GN) on our main Web site to receive action alerts.
If you have Slavery Still Exists pictures you want to share, please either email or mail them along! In
addition, if you want to let us know about a Slavery Still Exists you are having or just held, please
shoot us a note to let us know your thoughts and how it went!
Good luck everyone!
Together, we are all working together to build the anti-trafficking movement, to create social change,
to spread the word that “Slavery Still Exists,” and to combat all forms of modern-day slavery.
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Slavery Still Exists Campaign At-a-Glance | Polaris Project
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© Copyright Polaris Project, 2007. All Rights Reserved.
The Emancipation Network (TEN)
Mi ss io n St at e me nt : The Emancipation Network, TEN, seeks to fight modern day slavery by
empowering slavery survivors and at-risk persons through supporting their economic opportunities and
raising awareness about the issue of modern day slavery at the grassroots level in the United States.
Co nt act I n for mat io n: 21 Crestview Drive, E. Sandwich, MA, 02537
Email: [email protected], Website: www.madebysurvivors.com
TE N A mba ss ad ors: Several of the people who work with TEN are called “Ambassadors.” TEN
Ambassadors are regional representatives responsible for scheduling and running Awareness Events,
recruiting party hosts, educating people at the events about human trafficking and slavery, helping
hosts sell products, and continually expanding their own knowledge and understanding of trafficking
and modern slavery throughout the world. These regional representatives show a high level of
commitment to TEN by partaking in our training session. The topics included in training are:
Overview of Human Trafficking and Global Slavery
Trafficking and Slavery in the US
Leading your Local Team
Finding Event Hosts
Trafficking and Slavery by Region (South Asia, Mekong Region, Eastern Europe, Africa, the
United States, and Latin America)
 Economic Empowerment and the Social Enterprise Movement





The Ambassadors are responsible for attending the awareness events in their area, thus ensuring that
someone who is knowledgeable about modern slavery and TEN oversees each event. In our business
model, Ambassadors recruit hosts to invite their friends to a party at which goods are sold.
Ambassadors help organize the event, sell the products and give a presentation on human trafficking
and slavery, in exchange for a 25% commission. This commission rate is designed to offset expenses,
such as buying refreshments and hiring a babysitter, and to compensate the Ambassador for the time
and effort. The commissioned Ambassadors do not only sell products, they also recruit and train future
Hosts to have awareness events.
Awa re n ess Ev ent s & Pro gr a ms: TEN has two main components to its social network: community
events and house parties.
Community Events:
Description: TEN also works with concerned citizens through community groups (like yours), students,
church members, musicians, volunteers, and other activists. Previous community events have taken
place at community centers, schools, churches, cafes and restaurants, yoga studies, or even work
offices. This allows local TEN Ambassadors and volunteers to organize creative awareness events.
TEN volunteers have also organized bigger fundraisers to meet the financial needs of our overseas
partners. Your community group can work with TEN to sell Made-by-Survivors products and will
receive the 25% commission for your efforts. You can use this money to fund your own community
group, send to a specific shelter or anti-slavery organization, or start a travel fund for your members to
attend related events and conferences.
Dreams of Freedom: TEN hosted its first Dreams of Freedom conference in Cape Cod, MA in
October, 2006. This conference combined the arts community with human trafficking and slavery
education to raise awareness and funds for one of TEN’s partner groups. The second Dreams of
Freedom was held in a high school in Oregon, and the third was held at a nightclub in New York
City. There are now several other Dreams of Freedom events being organized for summer, 2007.
Your community group is welcome to organize one of these uplifting and informative events in your
area. More information is available at www.dreamsfreedom.com.
House Parties:
Description: Similar to Tupperware parties, TEN sells Made by Survivors products at house parties
throughout the US. This model allows TEN Ambassadors and Party Hosts to create an awareness
event that is fun, inspiring, and educational. The event organizer can choose a theme, such as tea
party or dinner party, and the venue, either a home, community center, local café, or place of
worship. At the Awareness Party, the host or Ambassador will give a brief introduction, roughly 20
minutes, about human trafficking and slavery. We have a short video version for those who are not
comfortable leading the presentation. The tone of this presentation is hopeful and empowering,
emphasizing the positive impact that result for the sale of the products. As their involvement grows,
new members are then introduced to more in-depth information about trafficking and modern slavery.
The Process: When a host first expresses interest in hosting an event, we send online documents
explaining the process, and our Host Packet, which includes the awareness materials needed for the
event. A TEN Ambassador or staff member follows up with a phone call, answering questions, sharing
their own experience, and helping the host select a date for the Awareness Party. Sample products are
sent out one week prior to the event. A TEN Ambassador or staff member is available to answer
questions during the weeks leading up to the event, and calls to follow up a day or two afterwards. If
a TEN Ambassador is in the area, s/he will come to help educate the guests and answer any
questions.
Recruiting New Hosts: During the Awareness Party, guests are invited to join our email database, and
to host their own Awareness Events in the future as their schedule allows. Guests are given brochures
and recruiting materials to take home, along with their product purchases. Guests are occasionally
emailed with new product announcements, news from our partners, and upcoming events. Once the
event is over, the host is eligible to become a TEN Ambassador. If the host elects not to become an
Ambassador, s/he can still continue to be involved in the program.
Follow-Up: After the event, hosts are given further support, asked for feedback about their events, and
invited to become TEN Ambassadors. Monthly email newsletters are sent, including news from around
the world in the struggle to end slavery, recommended reading and internet research sites, news from
TEN and TEN’s overseas partners, and volunteer opportunities. Ambassadors receive a full dossier of
TEN materials including more advanced educational materials about human trafficking, films, online
training, reading lists and more. Ambassadors are given email and phone support from our
Awareness Event Director. Ambassadors are encouraged to engage others in the community and
create their own support system by forming a local community group and organizing monthly
meetings. In the future, Ambassadors will be able to attend conferences and retreats where they can
get more training and network with other TEN Ambassadors.
Case Study: DC Stop Modern Slavery Group
O ur Miss io n
The DC Stop Modern Slavery Group aims to end modern-day slavery and build and strengthen the
anti-trafficking movement. To do this, we have a multi-pronged approach that includes:
1. Rais in g A wa re n ess in our community about human trafficking and modern-day slavery in
DC, the United States, and abroad through monthly meetings, our website, and special
events.
2. Fun dr ai si ng to support our Stop Modern Slavery Group and anti-trafficking NGOs
3. Po li cy A dv oca cy to engage legislators and actively promote anti-trafficking legislation.
The DC Stop Modern Slavery Group meetings are a free space for people to learn and openly discuss
human trafficking and modern-day slavery, brainstorm and plan ways to combat this human rights
abuse, and share information about opportunities attend relevant events in the local area and take
action.
O ur G oa ls
• Engage diverse community members
• Increase membership
• Increase active involvement of members
• Organize at least one event per month in addition to our regular monthly meetings
Ven ue
• One dedicated member secured our group a free space at All Souls Unitarian Church.
Mee ti ng D ay an d Ti me
• Meetings are held every third Thursday of each month from 7-9 PM
Pub li cit y
• We advertise our meetings and events through a variety of media, including flyers, radio,
public announcements, and advertisements in newspapers, magazines, church bulletins, and
school newsletters.
W eb sit e
• We use Meetup.com, and we are working on launching our own website:
www.stopmodernslavery.org.
Co nt act in g me mb er s
• We send out reminders via email at least three days before each meeting and event
highlighting the time and location of the meeting/event in the subject line of the email.
• We send out meeting notes after each monthly meeting so that members who are unable to
attend can stay informed of group discussions, be up to date on current efforts, and learn
about upcoming opportunities and events.
Me mb er sh ip
• Within the past three years, we’ve had over 300 members sign up to be part of our group.
Le ar ni n g
• We have had several professionals and leaders come to our group meetings and events to
share their expertise about human trafficking and modern slavery. Guest speakers have
included:
o Kay Chernush, Photographer for the US State Department TIP Report
o Kevin Bales, Author of Disposable People and Founder of Free the Slaves
o Katherine Chon, Executive Director, and Bradley Myles, National Program Director of
Polaris Project
o Andrea Powell, Executive Director of FAIRFund
o Elizabeth Gilhuly from the DC Fair Trade Coalition
• We watch short films to educate members about different forms of trafficking and slavery. We
also hold movie nights outside of the regular meetings for longer films. The films we’ve shown
include:
o Black Gold
o Dirty Pretty Things
o Freedom and Beyond, produced by Free the Slaves
o Human Trafficking, produced by Lifetime Movies
o Invisible Children
o Making of a Girl, produced by Girls Educational Mentoring Services
o Wide Angle, produced by International Organization of Migration
Sta yi ng I n for me d
• We encourage all members to sign up for Google Alerts for news and updates on human
trafficking and modern-day slavery.
• Two people volunteer each month to bring in a news article to discuss at the next meeting.
• We announce local events of interest at our meetings and via email.
Co mmi tte es
• We have three committees that enable our members to focus on the area(s) that interests them
most. These include: Awareness-Raising & Event Planning, Website Development, and Policy
Advocacy.
Fun dr ai si ng
• We have organized several fundraisers, some examples include:
o Happy Hours at local bars
o Change.org giving campaigns
o Amazing Grace Screening, ticket sales went to Polaris Project
o Bus Boys n Poets Slideshow of Kay Chernush’s Photographs
o Grant Proposals to community donors
o Made by Survivors product sales
o International Day to Abolish Slavery event featuring speakers and films
Do na tio ns
• We have made donations to several anti-slavery organizations, some examples include:
o
o
o
o
o
Polaris Project
Free the Slaves
The Emancipation Network (TEN) Charities
DEPDC, Thailand
MSEMVS, India
Ot he r Ev e nts
• Every month, we host one to two events outside of regular meetings, including Happy Hours,
Movie Nights, sports games, and workshops. We also attend local events put on by antislavery organizations.
Gett in g I nvo lv ed in th e Nati on al Gra ssr oot s Mov e me nt an d Sta yi ng Co n ne ct e d
• We encourage all of our members to join the Not For Sale Campaign at
www.notforsalecampaign.org
• We urge all of our members to go to www.polarisproject.org and sign up for Polaris Project’s
Grassroots Network and Policy Alerts. Through the Grassroots Network, individuals learn
about how to get involved in the anti-trafficking movement and receive information about
local and national events and campaigns. Policy Alerts keep individuals up to date with state
anti-trafficking legislation and policy advocacy efforts.
• Change.org is a new tool that enables individuals to exchange information, share ideas, and
collectively act to address the issues they care about.
Sample Meeting Agenda
DC Stop Modern Slavery Group
Mi ss io n St at e me nt:
The DC Stop Modern Slavery Group aims to end modern-day slavery and build and strengthen the
anti-trafficking movement. To do this, we have a multi-pronged approach that includes:
4. Rais in g A wa re n ess in our community about human trafficking and modern-day slavery in
DC, the United States, and abroad through monthly meetings, our website, and special
events.
5. Fun dr ai si ng to support our Stop Modern Slavery Group and anti-trafficking NGOs
6. Po li cy A dv oca cy to engage legislators and actively promote anti-trafficking legislation.
The DC Stop Modern Slavery Group meetings are a free space for people to learn and openly discuss
human trafficking and modern-day slavery, brainstorm and plan ways to combat this human rights
abuse, and share information about opportunities attend relevant events in the local area and take
action.
Organizers:
Elizabeth Rhodes and Becky Bavinger
([email protected], [email protected], [email protected])
Location:
All Souls Unitarian Church
1500 Harvard St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
Sample Meeting Agenda (Cont’d)
Agenda for April 19, 2007
7:00 – 7:15 p m
7:15 – 7:30 p m
7:30 – 7:45 p m
7:45 – 8:45 p m
8:45 – 9:00 p m
Introductions
Recap of last month’s activities
Update on our Policy Committee’s activities and how you can get involved
Announcements
Guest speaker from the Fair Trade Coalition
Film Screening
Discussion of film and labor trafficking
W he n y o u g o h o me …
Check out the Washington DC Fair Trade Coalition on Meetup.com. The next meeting is May 5th at
6PM at Ebenezers Coffee Shop. Email Elizabeth at [email protected] to get involved!
Sign up for Polaris Project’s Grassroots Network to learn about how to get more involved in the antitrafficking movement and receive information about local and national events and campaigns. It’s
easy – just go to www.polarisproject.org and click on “Take Action.”
Be sure to check out the Not Fo r S al e Ca mpa ig n at www.notforsalecampaign.org. Join The
Underground to stay in touch with the latest happenings in the Not For Sale Movement and sign up
for The X-IT, a pop culture zine for music and videos from the movement.
In conjunction with the film Amazing Grace, Walden Media has launched an integrated social justice
campaign called T he Am azin g Ch ang e. Check it out at www.theamazingchange.com.
Check out www.change.org - a new website that aims to transform social activism. Search “human
trafficking” or “sex trafficking” to see videos, articles, and more on the issue and learn about
organizations that fight to end modern-day slavery. Post your opinions and ideas!
Want to read about h uman tra ffi cki ng a nd mod er n-d ay s la ver y i n t he n ews ? Sign up for
human trafficking Google Alerts at www.google.com/alerts.
Check out the Sl av ery Sti ll Exist s C a mp ai g n (www.slaverystillexists.org), a campaign of Polaris
Project to raise awareness about modern-day slavery. Think about creative ways you can get
involved! If you have any questions, comments, feedback, or ideas, please feel free to get in touch
with Polaris Project by emailing [email protected].
One of Polaris Project’s clients recently had a baby boy! P le as e he lp Po la ris Pr oj ect s upp ort
th eir ne w mo th er a nd ba by bo y by going to www.polarisproject.org and clicking on “Wish List.”
Target cards will also be appreciated!
Stop Modern Slavery Group
Toolkit
RESOURCES
Useful Links
Change.org
www.change.org
Girls Educational & Mentoring Services
www.gems-girls.org
Humantrafficking.org
www.humantrafficking.org
Meetup.com
www.meetup.com
Polaris Project
www.polarisproject.org
The Emancipation Network
www.madebysurvivors.com
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, The
Campaign to Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking
www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking
U.S. Department of Justice
www.usdoj.gov/whatwedo/whatwedo_ctip.html
U.S. Department of State
www.state.gov/g/tip
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
www.unodc.org
Book List
Sl av ery A n d Its Ma ny For ms
Bury the Chains by Adam Hochschild
Disposable People by Kevin Bales, University of California Press, 1999. Available at
http://www.freetheslaves.net/store/.
Enslaved: True Stories of Modern Day Slavery collected by Gloria Steneim. Available at
http://www.iabolish.org/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1.
Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade and How We Can Fight It, by David Batstone
Understanding Global Slavery: A Reader by Kevin Bales. Available at
http://www.freetheslaves.net/store/.
Inte rn at io na l La bor Sl av er y
Escape from Slavery by Francis Bok. Available at
http://www.iabolish.org/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1.
Global Human Smuggling: Comparative Perspectives by David Kyle
King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild
Inte rn at io na l S e x Sl av ery
Human Traffic Sex Slaves and Immigration by Gilbert King
The Natashas: Inside the New Global Sex Trade by Victor Malarek
The Traffic in Women: Human Realities of the International Sex Trade
by Siriporn Skrobanek
What’s Love Got to Do With It? by Denise Brennan
Woman, Child—For Sale by Gilbert King
Do mest ic S erv it ud e
A Promise to Nadia by Zana Muhsen, Andrew Crofts, Little Brown & Co. 2000
In Contempt of Fate by Beatrice Fernando. Available at
http://www.iabolish.org/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1.
Sold by Zana Mushen, Andrew Crofts, Little Brown & Co 19 Warner Books
Without Mercy by Miriam Ali-Jana Wain, Warner Books, 1995
Se x Tr affi cki n g i n t he Un it ed St at es
Note: These books glamorize pimping in the United States. While reading, remember that many
pimps are sex traffickers under Federal law, using force, fraud, and coercion to profit from the
commercial sexual exploitation of women and children.
From Pimpstick to Pulpit by Bishop Don Magic Juan
Pimp by Iceberg Slim
Note: These books may contain graphic language, sexual content, and violence. While they expose
the truth about modern-day slavery, they may not be appropriate for all audiences.
This is not a comprehensive list but rather a working document. If you have suggestions about
additional books to include on this list, please email [email protected].
Film/Movie List
D OCU M ENT ARY F IL MS
Ameri can Pi mp
Note: This documentary glamorizes pimping in the United States. While viewing, remember that many
pimps are sex traffickers under Federal law, using force, fraud, and coercion to profit from the
commercial sexual exploitation of women and children.
American Pimp takes in-depth look at pimps and prostitution around the country. Various pimps are
interviewed about their lifestyles, work, and relationships with "their" prostitutes. A world in which men
with names like Payroll, Charm, Fillmore Slim and Don Magic Juan exude charisma on the level of
faith healers or rock stars--and effortlessly "make," manage and exploit their "hos" and "bitches."
Candidly, cordially, using the blank-verse vernacular of their trade, these men confide their war
stories. They flash thick bankrolls, expensive clothes and cars and parade their provocatively dressed
stables of women in front of the camera.
Available at: Amazon.com
Ano ny mo usl y Yo urs
After risking her life and footage in Burma, Massachusetts filmmaker Gayle Ferraro returned to bring
the sobering tales of Southeast Asian prostitutes to Western audiences. Often traveling to restricted
areas to meet their subjects, Ferraro and her crew devised a strategy for disguising the true nature of
their visits. "Our whole disguise was tacky tourists. We tried to be as obnoxious as possible everywhere
we went to cover for ourselves." Despite their precautions, however, Burmese officials detained
Ferraro’s group twice -- each time paralyzing the filmmaking team with fear. "I literally had no feelings
I was so afraid," Ferraro said of one close call, "I could barely think or talk." But she continued to film.
With each interview, Ferraro gained a deeper understanding of the victims of the Myanmar sex trade
and the social structures that supported it. "It’s big business," she said of sex trafficking in Southeast
Asia, offering an example to illustrate her point: "On this fishing coast that’s shared between Burma
(Myanmar) and Thailand there’s six major brothels with at least 100 rooms in them. That’s 600
rooms. The turnover is maybe a guy every hour, half-hour, around the clock... even if they’re paying a
dollar per, and they’re not, that’s $2,500 an hour times 24." And brothels are just one of several
sources of revenue for sex traffickers. "There’s hotels which are synonymous with brothels, there’s tea
shops -- every tea shop, restaurant, everything has a brothel in the back. You cannot operate any
other way."
Place order: http://www.aerial-productions.com/
Contact: [email protected]
Bla ck Go ld
Multinational coffee companies now rule our shopping malls and supermarkets and dominate the
industry worth over $80 billion, making coffee the most valuable trading commodity in the world after
oil.
But while we continue to pay for our lattes and cappuccinos, the price paid to coffee farmers remains
so low that many have been forced to abandon their coffee fields.
Nowhere is this paradox more evident than in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Tadesse Meskela is
one man on a mission to save his 74,000 struggling coffee farmers from bankruptcy. As his farmers
strive to harvest some of the highest quality coffee beans on the international market, Tadesse travels
the world in an attempt to find buyers willing to pay a fair price.
Against the backdrop of Tadesse's journey to London and Seattle, the enormous power of the
multinational players that dominate the world's coffee trade becomes apparent. New York commodity
traders, the international coffee exchanges, and the double dealings of trade ministers at the World
Trade Organisation reveal the many challenges Tadesse faces in his quest for a long term solution for
his farmers.
Website: http://www.blackgoldmovie.com/
Bor n i nto B rot h els
This documentary film traces the lives of several children in the Red Light district of India. The
filmmaker, Zana Briski, is a New York based photographer who teaches a photography class to the
children and attempts to enroll them in boarding schools in order to give them the opportunity for a
better future. Most of the children, however, continue the lives that their parents had intended for them
– prostitutes. Winner of the 2005 Academy Award for Best Documentary Film, Born Into Brothels, was
produced and directed by New York based filmmakers Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski.
Website: http://kids-with-cameras.org/bornintobrothels/dvd.php
Th e Da y My G od D ie d
In Bombay alone, 90 new cases of HIV infection are reported every hour, and the victims are getting
younger: two decades ago, most women in India’s brothels were in their twenties or thirties. Today,
the average age is 14. Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Tim Robbins, The Day My God
Died puts a human face on these abstract numbers as it recounts the stories of several Nepalese girls
who were forced into the international child sex trade.
The Day My God Died lifts the veil of secrecy on child sex trafficking using footage from the brothels
captured with spy camera technology. The film tells the stories of Gina, sold into sexual slavery at age
seven, raped by 14 men and beaten with sticks and aluminum rods; Anita, lured by a friend, then
drugged and sold to a brothel at age 12, where she was beaten and threatened with being buried
alive; Maili, trafficked at age 19 along with her infant daughter who was seized and used as
"insurance" to keep Maili from fleeing; and Jyoti, sold at age 12, raped, choked and forced to drink
alcohol to break down her resistance.
Contact: Andrew Levine Productions, [email protected]
Phone: 435-655-8319
Fax: 435-655-8320
Dyi n g to Lea ve
A reprise of one of last season's most significant films, Dying to Leave explores the current worldwide
boom in illicit migration and human trafficking. Every year, an estimated two to four million people
are shipped in containers, shepherded through sewage pipes, secreted in car chassis, and ferried
across frigid waters. Others travel on legitimate carriers but with forged documents. An alarming
number of these migrants end up in bondage, forced to work as prostitutes, thieves, or as laborers in
sweatshops. By listening to the voices of those who pulled up their roots and risked all, the film puts a
human face on what might otherwise be seen as statistical, overwhelming and remote, and reveals the
circumstances that drove these migrants from their homes, the difficulties involved in their epic
journeys, and what awaits them in their new world.
Year: 2004, Rating: PG, Runtime: 104 min, Produced in Australia & USA
Directed By: Chris Hilton and Aaron Wolf,
Website: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/dying/index.html
Place order: http://www.roninfilms.com.au/feature/2396439441.html
Fo ur Ye ars i n H ell
Trafficking in women is big business in Nepal. Young girls are often sold by their own families,
kidnapped to other countries and lose both their freedom and innocence. This is the tragic story about
one such girl, Chakkali Bal. She had been living a hard life in the hills of Nepal when at the age of
eleven she received an offer of marriage. This was a subterfuge; her "husband" and aunt had sold her
to a brother in India.
In India, Chakkali was forced to work as a prostitute until freed by the Indian police four years later.
She returned to her family in Nepal only to discover she was HIV positive. The courageous young
woman is now employed by an organization that works to stop the traffic in women and to educate
young people about HIV/AIDS. Chakkali has married and has found some happiness. She says, "I will
die soon, but I hope I will save a few lives before that."
25 min. Video. Sale $295. Rental $55.
Contact: [email protected] or 212-808-4980
Fr ee do m a nd B ey on d
Freedom and Beyond is ultimately a story of hope and promise but it begins with voices of boys
recently freed from slavery in northern India. They tell stories that are hard to hear. Important stories
that help us learn what it takes to rescue children and help them rebuild their lives.
The documentary film takes viewers inside a raid to free children, introduces the heroes who risk
everything to rescue the children, shows former slaves as they learn to play again and finally travels
with activists from Bal Vikas Ashram to remote villages where children are routinely trafficked. Viewers
see once powerless, hopeless villagers join forces to arrest local traffickers and do whatever it takes to
create a safe place for their children.
Available at: www.freetheslaves.net/store/freedom-and-beyond/
Girl Tr affi cki n g: Man ush i for S ust ai na bl e De vel op me nt
A docu-drama that depicts the process of trafficking of young girls from the rural hills of Nepal to the
brothels in India. Filmed in Sindhupalchowk and Bombay, it deals with the social ostracization of girls
infected with HIV/AIDS. It is being used as a training tool by other NGOs on gender sensitization at
community level.
Website: http://www.iastate.edu/~anthr_info/cikard/feature/feature2.htm
Girl s fro m Ch a ka Str e et
The flourishing sex industry in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia first took off after 1991 when the Baltic
countries gained their independence from the former Soviet Union - and opened their borders to the
outside world. Living standards crashed, unemployment soared, and young, often underage, girls
could earn more in a night on the street than a trained doctor could in a month. Antra Cilinska’s
chilling film looks at the forces that drive young girls onto the streets, the physical and psychological
risks they run, and the growing involvement of the Mafia in lucrative sex trafficking.
This film is one of a four part series called “A Question of Rights”
Place order: http://www.tve.org/sisters/girlsfrom.html.
Hi gh w ay to H el l
"Highway to Hell" is a film that deals with the trafficking of young Nepalese girls either across the
border from Nepal to India or from small Nepalese villages to large Nepalese as well as Indian
towns. It also depicts the ease with which Nepalese girls are brought over to Mumbai for prostitution
and their plight once they are within the environs of Red Light Areas especially Kamathipura in
Mumbai. NGOs or social service agencies working there are given a brief mention with more
emphasis being paid to the trafficking process.
A Film by Award-winning Filmmaker
Meera Dewan with Niraja Rao
Produced by Southview Productions
Contact: [email protected]
Invi si bl e C hi ld re n: Ro ug h C ut
What started out as a film-making adventure in Africa, transformed into much more, when the three
young American’s (Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole) original travels took a divine turn,
and they found themselves stranded in Northern Uganda. They discovered children being kidnapped
nightly from their homes and subsequently forced to become fight as child soldiers. This film is
dedicated to exposing this tragic, and amazingly untold story. Even at this moment, in Uganda,
Children as young as 8 are methodically kidnapped from their homes by a rebel group called the
“Lord’s Resistance Army” (LRA). The abducted children are then desensitized to the horror of brutal
violence and killing, as they themselves are turned into vicious fighters. Some escape and hide in
constant fear for their lives. Most remain captive, and grow to maturity with no education other than
life “in the bush” and fighting in a guerilla war. Of the many ramifications that a 20 -year-long war
can cause, the film “Invisible Children: Rough Cut” highlights what the community refers to as
“NIGHT COMMUTERS.” We watch thousands of children “commute” out of fear, from their villages
to nearby towns each night in order to avoid the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) abductions. They sleep
in public places, vulnerable, and without supervision. This film focuses in on 4 young boys: Jacob,
Thomas, Tony, and Boni. Through their eyes, we relive the terror of abduction, courage of survival,
the heartbreak of losing a brother, and the innate joy- found only in a child. The three filmmakers
(Jason, Bobby, and Laren) were amazed to find many things in common between these kids and kids
in America, themselves included. As the three left Northern Uganda, they were appalled by what they
had seen, and yet, in awe of the resilience and hope they found in these children, and this
community. The filmmakers thought: How could such an atrocity exist for such a long time, without
the world knowing? Believing that the “invisible children’s” story could inspire others to do something,
as it did them, they created a documentary, which we now know as the “Invisible Children: Rough
Cut”. They originally screened the film in June 2004 for friends and family and soon expanded to high
schools, colleges, and organizations. After audiences viewed the movie, one question repeatedly
surfaced, “what can we do?” And so, a nonprofit was birthed out of a film.
Website: www.invisiblechildren.com
Ma ki ng of a G irl
Making of a Girl was created by Girls Education Mentoring Service (GEMS), an organization serving
sexually exploited youth in New York State. GEMS works with approximately 200 sexually exploited
girls a year and was founded by Rachel Lloyd, the recipient of the 2006 Reebok Human Rights
Award. Through the voices of the youth speaking about their experiences, the video explores the
predatory behaviors of pimps, the glorification of pimps in mainstream culture, and the ways that
sexually-exploited youth are treated and stigmatized in society.
No t For Sa le: T he Do cumen ta ry
Hollywood director Robert Marcarelli produced and directed the film documentary Not For Sale,
based on the book penned by David Batstone. Marcarelli and his film crew traveled over 120,000
miles and five continents investigating the modern slave trade and shot undercover footage of
trafficking operations.
The crew also captured on film the spirit of those dedicated abolitionists working in the field to
emancipate the victims. Not For Sale: the Documentary tells the story of these heroes in an effort to
inspire other people to follow their example and ignite a global antislavery movement.
Some of the abolitionists featured in the film include Pierre Tami (Cambodia), Anna Rodriguez (USA),
Annie Dieselberg (Thailand), Katherine Chon (USA), Padre Cesare Lo Deserto (Moldova), Lucy Borja
(Peru), Gary Haugen (USA), and Florence Lacor (Uganda).
The director uses personal interviews and startling footage to show how these individuals first learned
about slavery and moved to inspiring action to emancipate girls and boys as well as women and men
held in bondage.
Musical recording artists JAID and Kendall Paine wrote original music, including a theme song, for the
film.
Available at: www.notforsalecampaign.org
Pi mps Up, Ho’ s Dow n
Note: This documentary glamorizes pimping in the United States. While viewing, remember that many
pimps are sex traffickers under Federal law, using force, fraud, and coercion to profit from the
commercial sexual exploitation of women and children.
A behind the scenes look at the pimp game over ten years in the making. Enter the secret society of
pimps to experience the ultimate exploration of the lifestyle and hear stories from the mouths of the
players themselves. Originally aired on HBO's America Undercover, this version includes over 30
minutes of additional footage.
Available at: Amazon.com
Sa cr ifice
Each year thousands of young girls are recruited from rural Burmese villages to work in the sex
industry in neighboring Thailand. Held for years in debt bondage in illegal Thai brothels, they suffer
extreme abuse by pimps, clients, and the police. The trafficking of Burmese girls has soared in recent
years as a direct result of political repression in Burma. Human rights abuses, war and ethnic
discrimination has displaced hundreds of thousands of families, leaving families with no means of
livelihood. An offer of employment in Thailand is a rare chance for many families to escape extreme
poverty.
Sacrifice examines the social, cultural, and economic forces at work in the trafficking of Burmese girls
into prostitution in Thailand. It is the story of the valuation and sale of human beings, and the efforts
of teenage girls to survive a personal crisis born of economic and political repression.
Place order: http://www.brunofilms.com/orderform.html
Contact: [email protected]
Sis ter s a n d D a ugh ter s B etr ay ed
A stunning video about the realities of sex trafficking and forced prostitution by independent video
producer Chela Blitt, made with the financial support of a group of Global Fund donors.
Cost: $25 for individual use, discount for students and activists.
Place order: http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/resources/for-sale/
Several Clips of Expert Opinions available at
http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/1work/programs/trafficking.html
Th e Se lli n g o f In n oce nts
“The Selling of Innocents” an Emmy award winning documentary film made by the founder Ms.
Ruchira Gupta portrays the trafficking of women and children from Nepal to the brothels of Mumbai.
The film is also dubbed into Nepali, Hindi and Bengali. It is available for NGOs, academics and
academia to use for advocacy purposes.
Contact: [email protected]
Sto p t he Tr a ffic
Thirty years of war left Cambodia ravaged and poverty-stricken. Since the end of the brutal Khmer
Rouge rule, poverty, corruption and global tourism have all made it particularly vulnerable to the child
labor industry. Children are trafficked into cities from rural areas to become sex slaves or sex workers,
or trafficked out to comparatively wealthy Thailand to work in Bangkok as beggars, domestic workers,
or laborers on construction sites.
Contact: [email protected]
Ti n Gi rls
A 55-minute documentary on the trafficking of girls for prostitution from Nepal to India. Tin Girls, one
of the Valor Humano (Human Value) series of documentaries produced by Canal Plus, was first
inspired by the magazine feature When No Means Never Again, written by Chelo Alvarez with the
help of Anjana Shakya, President of HimRights, and published by Planeta Humano magazine, Spain.
Contact: [email protected]
Tra di n g Wo men
Trading Women enters the worlds of brothel owners, trafficked girls, voluntary sex workers, corrupt
police and anxious politicians. Filmed in Burma, China, Laos, and Thailand, this is the first film to
follow the trade in women in all its complexity and to consider the impact of this 'far away' problem on
the global community.
Narrated by Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie, the documentary investigates the trade in minority
girls and women from the hill tribes of Burma, Laos and China, into the Thai sex industry. Filmed on
location in China, Thailand and Burma, Trading Women follows the trade of women in all its
complexity, entering the worlds of brothel owners, trafficked girls, voluntary sex-workers, corrupt police
and anxious politicians. The film also explores the international community's response to the issue.
The culmination of five years of field research, Trading Women is the first film to demonstrate to
viewers the relationship of the trade in drugs to the trade of women. The film dispels common beliefs
about the sex trade, such as: "The problem is the parents – it’s part of their culture to sell their
daughters;" "The sex trade exists because of Western sex tours;" and "They sell their girls for TV's."
By David A. Feingold, narrated by Angelina Jolie
VHS color, 60 min, 2003, sale $195, rental $50
Contact: [email protected]
Tra ffi cki ng Ci n de re ll a
The documentary is a journey into a macabre world which most of us prefer to believe could never
exist. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the resulting political and economic changes, there
has been an alarming increase in forced prostitution and trafficking of women from Eastern Europe to
the West and North America. While officials are still debating contradictions in the existing
regulations, the structures of the international prostitution enterprise are thriving; life-threatening and
security issues grow worse as thousands of women are reaching the point of no return. Trafficking
Cinderella features the gut wrenching testimonies of broken dreams, withered illusions, rape and
humiliation from several Eastern European girls sold as prostitutes throughout the world.
Contact: Mira Niagolova, Miran Productions
5 Heathherbush Road, Essex JCT, VT 05452
[email protected]
Dyi n g to Lea ve
This two-hour WIDE ANGLE special explores the current worldwide boom in illicit migration. Every
year, an estimated two to four million people are shipped in containers, shepherded through sewage
pipes, secreted in car chassis, and ferried across frigid waters. Others travel on legitimate carriers but
with forged documents. An alarming number of these migrants end up in bondage, forced to work as
prostitutes, thieves, or as laborers in sweatshops. By listening to the voices of those who pulled up their
roots, who risked all, the film will put a human face on what might otherwise be seen as statistical,
overwhelming and remote. Focusing on five major stories whose journeys traverse 16 countries from
Colombia to China, from Mexico to Moldova this documentary will look into the circumstances that
drove these migrants from their homes, describe the difficulties involved in their epic journeys and
reveal what awaits them in their new world.
Available at: www.films.com/wideangle
D R AM AT IC F I L MS
Buchar es t E xp re ss
An American journalist, a mysterious Gypsy woman and a bookkeeper with an inside angle try to stay
one step ahead of a gang of ruthless killers as they uncover the horrors of the human trafficking of sex
slaves in the Balkans. Young women are being transported to Bucharest with false promises of jobs as
dancers and models. Once there, they are traded for heroin, stripped of their passports and shipped
to Turkey for a life of prostitution. Countries throughout the former Soviet Union provide a chilling
backdrop to a tangled web of corruption, betrayal and romance as this unlikely band of heroes tries
to uncover the secrets of the flesh-for-heroin trade. Join them on an edge-of-your-seat adventure with
a one-way ticket on the Bucharest Express.
Bucharest Express is not a documentary, but rather a hard-hitting mystery that blows the lid off the
ruthless trade of young women.
Contact: [email protected]
Boss’ n Up
Note: This documentary glamorizes pimping in the United States. While viewing, remember that many
pimps are sex traffickers under Federal law, using force, fraud, and coercion to profit from the
commercial sexual exploitation of women and children.
Boss’n Up stars Snoop Dogg as grocery clerk Corde Christopher, who has a natural talent with the
ladies. When street pimp Orange Juice (Hawthorne James) comes along to cultivate that talent, there's
no holding Corde back, and he enters the life of money, drugs, and prostitution. Ultimately, however,
he has to choose between the love of his girl Chardonnay Allen (Shillae Anderson) and the dangerous
life of a pimp.
Available at: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble
Fi el ds o f Mud an
In a harrowing fictional account based on all-too-real conditions, the 2006 Academy Awards qualifier
written and directed by an FSU film student tells the story of Mudan, a young Chinese girl forced into
an Asian underworld of child prostitution and modern-day slavery by a brutal brothel owner. The
child's only hope is her dream of a new life in America with her mother.
Contact: Kathy Barber, (850) 645-4840; [email protected]
H uma n Tr affi cki n g
Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland star in this thrilling movie that traces the routes of several women
and children as they are bought and sold by international traffickers. This dramatic film, Lifetime
Television's original movie, illustrates several forms of human trafficking, particularly the sexual
exploitation of women and young children. It captures the stories of victims, perpetrators, and those
working to stop trafficking. Law enforcement agencies, such as Immigrations and Customs
Enforcement, as well as non-governmental organizations, are featured in this thrilling tale that will
leave audiences at the edge of their seats.
Contact: Lauren Frederick, [email protected]
Lil ja 4-ev er
"Lilja 4-Ever," a Swedish film released in 2003 depicting the struggles of Lilja (Okshana Akinshina),
a16-year-old girl living in an unidentified ex-Soviet republic. Her mother abandons her in the slums of
the city to move to the United States, and she is forced to move into in a squalid apartment with only
her abused 11-year-old friend, Volodya (Artiom Bogucharskij), for care or company. As the two begin
to starve, Lilja turns to prostitution as a way to support herself. When Swedish businessman Andrei
(Panel Ponomaryov) appears and promises to save Lilja from the slums, her situation appears to be
improving, but it is only the beginning of the problems she will face.
"Lilja 4-Ever" deals with trafficking of women for prostitution, an issue which has become relevant not
only in Europe, but in other parts of the world as well. In Europe women are most often transported
from poorer Eastern countries to the more prosperous West, often under false pretences as shown in
this film.
Contact: Maria Smith at [email protected]
Sv etl a na’s Jo ur ne y
"Svetlana's Journey" is a new film about a 13 year old Bulgarian girl who is sold into prostitution by
her adopted parents. Written and directed by Michael Corey Davis, it gives a gruesome look into the
world of child trafficking. New Age Media Concepts reports that four million people around the world
are victims of human trafficking, a lucrative business with an estimated annual turnover of at least 15
billion US dollars.
Website: www.svetlanasjourney.com
Contact: Belinda Bass, DEBOUCHE ENTERTAINMENT
818-426-4227, www.MichaelCoryDavis.com
Ta xi D riv er
Mentally unstable Vietnam vet Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) drives a nocturnal cab through the
sleaziest streets of pregentrified New York City and befriends a child prostitute (i.e. victim of human
trafficking) played by Jodie Foster. Along the way, the morally righteous Bickle slowly loses his mind,
turning into a well-armed, homicidal vigilante. De Niro, director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter
Paul Schrader create a violently prophetic, gripping vision of urban decay and insanity.
Available at: Blockbuster, Netflix, Amazon.com
N EW S I NV EST IG AT IO NS
Ch il dr en fo r S al e
It's an exotic vacation destination, with ancient cities, bold colors, legendary temples, remarkable
beauty — and horrendous crimes that go on behind closed doors. Children, some as young as 5
years old, are being sold as slaves for sex. It's a shameful secret that's now capturing the attention of
the world and the White House, a secret that has been exposed by Dateline's hidden cameras.
Dateline ventured into this dark place, where sexual predators can gain access to terrified children for
a handful of cash. How could this be happening? And how can it be stopped?
Dateline investigation
Dateline's Chris Hansen reports on the illegal sex industry that victimizes Cambodian children, and the
efforts to stop it.
Place order: call 1-866-NBC-TAPE.
Ch il d C a me l Jo cke ys – Mo de rn -D ay Sl ave ry
This is the Emmy and duPont award-winning documentary by HBO about the plight of thousands of
children working as camel jockeys in the Middle East. This documentary focuses on the work of Ansar
Burney in the United Arab Emirates to save the innocent children and bring to an end this form of
child slavery. Since the documentary was aired in 2004, Ansar Burney has met with high officials of
the Qatari and UAE governments and we are proud to announce that both Qatar and UAE agreed to
our demands and banned the use of children in 2005 as camel jockeys.
Website: www.ansarburney.org/videolinks/video-hbo1.html
Se x Sl av es
An estimated half-million women are trafficked annually for the purpose of sexual slavery. The women
are kidnapped -- or lured by traffickers who prey on their dreams of employment abroad -- then they
are "exported" to Europe, the Middle East, the United States, and elsewhere, where they are sold to
pimps, drugged, terrorized, locked in brothels, and raped repeatedly. In Eastern Europe, since the fall
of communism, sex trafficking has become the fastest growing form of organized crime, with Moldova
and Ukraine widely seen as the centers of the global trade in women and girls. FRONTLINE presents
a unique hidden camera look at this world of sexual slavery, talking with traffickers and their victims,
and exposing the government indifference that allows the abuses to continue virtually unchecked. Sex
Slaves also follows the remarkable journey of one man determined to find his trafficked wife by posing
as a trafficker himself to buy back her freedom. Running time: 60 minutes.
Website: www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/slaves/
Note: These films/movies may contain graphic language, sexual content, and violence. While they
expose the truth about modern-day slavery, they may not be appropriate for all audiences.
This is not a comprehensive list but rather a working document. If you have suggestions about
additional films/movies to include on this list, please email [email protected]
Stop Modern Slavery Group
Toolkit
MATERIALS
Stop Modern Slavery Group Sign-up Sheet
Sign up to become a member of Stop Modern Slavery and receive reminders about monthly
community meetings and film screenings, local event announcements, and information about
opportunities to volunteer and get involved in the anti-trafficking movement.
NA ME
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Grassroots Network (GN) - Add your voice to the anti-trafficking movement and learn about local opportunities to take action.
U.S. Policy Alert – Receive periodic (monthly) email updates on U.S. anti-trafficking policy developments.
Campus Coalition Against Trafficking (CCAT)- Join a network of students on college campuses dedicated to ending human trafficking
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Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
Human Trafficking Cheat Sheet
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Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and is now considered the third-largest (some say second largest) and
fastest growing criminal industry in the world, generating over US$19 billion in profit every year.
It is a crime under US and international law. It is also a crime under many State laws.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 is the main U.S. law on trafficking and establishes a
special T-visa for victims of trafficking in the U.S. It has been reauthorized again in 2003 and 2005.
The “Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children” is the
main international law addressing this issue; the U.S. became party to this protocol on December 3rd, 2005.
As defined in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, the legal definition of a “severe forms of
trafficking in persons” is:
o sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the
person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age; or
o the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services,
through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude,
peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.
There are three general areas to understand who are considered trafficking victims in the U.S:
o Minors (under age 18) involved in commercial sex;
o Those age 18 or over involved in commercial sex via force, fraud, or coercion;
o Children and adults forced to perform labor and/or services in conditions of involuntary servitude,
peonage, debt bondage, or slavery, via force, fraud, or coercion.
Human trafficking is prevalent in many countries around the world, though some are primarily sites of origin,
transit, destination, and/or internal trafficking.
People are trafficked for a wide variety of purposes, such as commercial sex or agricultural work, housekeeping or stripping, yet they all share the loss of one of our world’s most cherished rights: freedom.
Cases of human trafficking have been reported throughout the United States in all fifty states and specifically
in ninety-one cities (according to Free the Slaves).
There is no one consistent face of a trafficking victim. Trafficked persons can be rich or poor, men or women,
adults or children, and foreign nationals or U.S. citizens.
There is no one consistent face of a trafficker. Traffickers include a wide range of criminal operators,
including individual pimps, small families, loose-knit decentralized criminal networks, and international
organized criminal syndicates. Both men and women are traffickers.
Numbers of trafficking victims in the United States is estimated in the hundreds of thousands. These estimates
include numbers of internally trafficked individuals, such as minors in the U.S. involved in commercial sex, as
well as the U.S. State Department estimate of 14,500-17,500 foreign nationals that are trafficked into the
United States each year.
Human trafficking is a market-based economy that exists on principles of supply and demand. Currently,
human trafficking is viewed as a high-profit, low-risk endeavor by criminals because of low levels of public
awareness. If the high-profit, low-risk environment is not addressed, traffickers will continue to operate with
a sense of impunity.
It is important to dispel certain myths about trafficking
o Trafficking is not smuggling or forced movement, even though the word connotes a concept of
movement.
o Trafficking does not require transportation or border crossing, and does not only happen to immigrants
or foreign nationals.
o Trafficking does not require physical force, physical abuse, or physical restraint
o The consent of the victim is considered irrelevant, as is payment.
Indicators of a potential human trafficking situation may include:
o Individuals not in control of their own identification documents
o Individuals who are accompanied, watched, or followed, and are not allowed to speak for themselves
o Signs of physical abuse
o Fearful, anxious, or submissive behavior or other signs of psychological abuse
o Individuals who are not in control of their own money
o Individuals who are unpaid or paid very little
o Excessively long working hours or odd tasks at odd hours
o Few or no personal possessions or financial records
o Under 18 and involved in commercial sex
For referrals, trafficking information, or to report a suspected victim, call the
Health and Human Services Hotline at 1-888-3737-888.
Common Myths and Misconceptions | Polaris Project
Common Myths and Misconceptions about Human Trafficking in the U.S
The following document sum marizes some of the com monly-held myths and misconceptions about the
definition of human trafficking and the types of human trafficking operations that exist in the United
States. This document is intended to help clarify a more accurate portrayal of trafficking by correcting
the numerous myths and misconceptions. The goal of the document is to help shape a “lens” for
identifying and understanding trafficking that is not clouded by incorrect information. A “Top 10” List
is provided below.
Myth 1: Under the Federal definition, trafficked persons can only be foreign nationals or are only
immigrants from other countries.
Reality: The Federal definition of human trafficking includes both U.S. citizens and
foreign nationals - both are equally protected under the Federal trafficking statutes and have
been since the TVPA of 2000. Human trafficking encompasses both transnational trafficking
that crosses borders and domestic or internal trafficking that occurs within a country. Statistics
about trafficking, estimates of the scope of trafficking, and descriptions of trafficking should be
mindful to include both transnational and internal trafficking to be most accurate.
Myth 2: Trafficking is essentially a crime that must involve some form of travel, transportation, or
movement across state or national borders.
Reality: The legal definition of trafficking, as defined under the Federal trafficking statutes,
does not require transportation, although transportation may be involved in the crime, and
although the word connotes movement. Human trafficking is not synonymous with forced
migration or smuggling. Instead, human trafficking is more accurately characterized as
“compelled service” where an individual’s will is overborne through force, fraud, or coercion.
Transportation or migration is less of a relevant consideration to the definition or for
identifying trafficked persons.
Myth 3: Human trafficking is another word for hu man smuggling.
Reality: There are many fundamental differences between the crimes of human trafficking and
human smuggling. Both are entirely separate Federal crimes in the United States. Most notably,
smuggling is a crime against a country’s borders, whereas human trafficking is a
crime against a person. Also, while smuggling requires illegal border crossing, human
trafficking involves commercial sex acts or labor or services that are induced through force,
fraud, or coercion.
Myth 4: There must be elements of physical restraint, physical force, or physical bondage when
identifying a trafficking situation.
Reality: The legal definition of trafficking does not require physical restraint, bodily
harm, or physical force. Psychological means of control, such as threats, or abuse of the legal
process, are sufficient elements of the crime. Unlike the previous Federal involuntary servitude
statutes (U.S.C. 1584), the new Federal crimes created by the Trafficking Victims Protection
Act (TVPA) of 2000 were intended to address “subtler” forms of coercion and to broaden
previous standards that only considered bodily harm.
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Common Myths and Misconceptions | Polaris Project
Myth 5: Victims of trafficking will immediately ask for help or assistance and will self-identify as a victim
of a crime.
Reality: Victims of trafficking often do not imm ediately seek help or self-identify as
victims of a crime, due to lack of trust, self-blame, or training by the traffickers. It is
important to avoid making a snap judgment based on the first interviews and to be understanding
that trust will take time to develop. Continued trust-building and patient interviewing is often
required to get to the whole story.
Myth 6: Trafficking victims always come from situations of poverty or from small rural villages.
Reality: Although poverty certainly is highly correlated with human trafficking because it
often is a factor of vulnerability, poverty alone is not a single causal factor or universal
indicator of a huma n trafficking victim. Trafficking victims can come from a range of
income levels and many may come from families with increased socioeconomic status.
Myth 7: Sex trafficking is the only form of human trafficking.
Reality: Elements of human trafficking can occur in both commercial sex acts but also in
situations of forced labor or services. The broader concept of huma n trafficking
encompasses both forms of what are referred to as “sex trafficking” and “labor
trafficking,” and can effect men and boys in addition to women a nd girls.
Myth 8: Human trafficking only occurs in illegal underground industries.
Reality: Elements of human trafficking can be identified whenever the means of force, fraud,
or coercion induce a person to perform commercial sex acts, or labor or services. Trafficking
can occur in legal and legitimate business settings as well as underground markets.
Myth 9: If the trafficked person consented to be in their initial situation or was informed about what
type of labor they would be doing or that com mercial sex would be involved, then it cannot be
trafficking or against their will because they “knew better.”
Reality: A victim cannot consent to be in a situation of huma n trafficking. Initial
consent to commercial sex or a labor setting prior to acts of force, fraud, or coercion (or if the
victim is a minor in a sex trafficking situation) is not relevant to the crime, nor is payment.
Myth 10: Foreign national trafficking victims are always undocumented immigrants or here in this
country illegally.
Reality: For foreign national victims, trafficked persons can be in the United States through
either legal or illegal means. Although some foreign national victims are undocumented, a
significant percentage may have legitimate visas for various purposes. Not all foreign
national victims are undocumented.
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Understanding Victim’s Mindset | Polaris Project
In Their Shoes: Understanding Victims’ Mindsets and
Common Barriers to Victim Identification
Developed by Polaris Project
The following document outlines a wide variety of both physical and psychological reasons why
trafficked persons cannot or will not leave a trafficking situation. The list is inclusive of both sex and labor
trafficking operations, as well as foreign-born and U.S. citizen victims. Items on this list are not meant to be
interpreted as present in all trafficking cases, and the list is also not intended to be exhaustive.
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Captivity/Confinement
o Past examples have demonstrated victims being locked indoors, held in guarded compounds, or
locked in trunks of cars.
Frequent accompaniment/guarded
o In many trafficking networks, victims’ public interactions are mediated, monitored, or entirely
controlled. In certain severe cases, victims have been controlled by armed guards.
Use and threat of violence
o Severe physical retaliation (e.g., beatings, rapes, sexual assault, torture) combined with threats hold
victims in a constant state of fear and obedience.
Fear
o Fear manifests in many ways in a trafficking situation, including fear of physical retaliation, of death,
of arrest, or of harm to one’s loved ones.
Use of reprisals and threats of reprisals against loved ones or third parties
o Traffickers target reprisals at children, parents, siblings, and friends, or other trafficking victims.
Shame
o Victims from all cultures and in both sex and labor cases may be profoundly ashamed about the
activities they have been forced to perform. Self-blaming links closely to low self-esteem.
Self-blame
o In the face of an extremely psychologically manipulative situation, trafficked persons may engage in
self-blaming attitudes and blame themselves for being duped into a situation beyond their control.
Self-blaming attitudes are often reinforced by the traffickers, and can serve to impede the victim from
blaming or testifying the trafficker.
Debt bondage
o Traffickers create inflated debts that victims cannot realistically pay off. These debts are often
combined with accruing interest or small fees to ensure that the victim stays in the debt situation.
Traumatic bonding to the trafficker
o In many trafficking cases, victims have exhibited commonly-known behaviors of traumatic bonding
due to the violence and psychological abuse (a.k.a., Stockholm syndrome).
Language and social barriers
o Feelings of unfamiliarity or fear of the unknown provide obstacles to leaving a trafficking situation.
These feelings are exacerbated by language and social barriers.
Distrust of law enforcement or service providers
o In many cases, traffickers are known to brainwash victims into a false distrust of law enforcement,
government officials, and service providers. Victims also may have had negative past experiences
with institutional systems, which also impact trust levels.
Isolation
o Traffickers purposefully isolate victims from a positive support structure and foster controlled
environments where the victim is kept in a state of complete dependency. High levels of dependency
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Understanding Victim’s Mindset | Polaris Project
ƒ
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and learned helplessness often lead victims to ‘prefer the hell they know’ then face the uncertainty of
adapting to a new world of independence.
False promises
o Traffickers use sophisticated methods of manipulating the human desire to hope through false
promises and lies about a future better life. Victims who are children are especially vulnerable to
these false promises.
Hopelessness and resignation
o In the face of extreme control, violence, and captivity, notions of hope may fade over time towards
states of hopelessness and resignation.
Facilitated drug addiction
o In certain trafficking networks, traffickers provide addictive substances to their victims to foster longerterm drug addiction and monetary dependency.
Psychological trauma
o Many trafficking victims experience significant levels of psychological trauma due to the levels of
abuse that they have endured. In certain cases, this trauma leads to disassociation, depression,
anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which in turn affect daily functioning and
levels of agency.
Lack of awareness of available resources
o Victims may not leave a situation due to a lack of awareness of any resources or services designed to
help them. Traffickers purposefully control the information that victims receive.
Low levels of self-identifying as trafficking victims
o The majority of trafficking victims do not self-identify as victims of human trafficking. They may be
unaware of the elements of the crime or the Federal criminal paradigm designed to protect them.
Normalization of exploitation
o Over a long period of enduring severe levels of trauma, physical abuse, and psychological
manipulation, victims demonstrate resilience strategies and defense mechanisms that normalize the
abuse in their minds. In a relative mental assessment, what once may have been viewed as abuse
may now be experienced as a normal part of every day life. This changing “lens” on viewing the
world impacts the ability to self-identify as a victim.
A belief that no one cares to help
o Trafficking victims may believe that no one cares to help them, a belief that is reinforced both by
traffickers’ lies but also when community members do not take a strong stance against trafficking.
When the community is silent on the issue, traffickers’ power is increased and feelings of hopelessness
sustain.
In addition to all the above-stated reasons, numerous additional factors contribute to the difficulty of trafficking
victim identification. These factors include:
ƒ The frequent movement of victims fosters a low likelihood of multiple encounters with law enforcement or
service providers. Victims may not be in one place long enough for a meaningful intervention.
ƒ Victims may be trained to tell lies or canned stories to the organizations that are there to help them.
ƒ Victims rarely come into contact with institutional systems
ƒ Untrustworthy or corrupt interpreters may impact the course of effective service provision.
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Potential Trafficking Indicators | Polaris Project
Identifying Victims of Human Trafficking Potential Indicators/Red Flags to Keep in Mind
The following is a list of suggested potential indicators or red flags to keep in mind that may be signs of a
situation of or a victim of human trafficking. It is important to note that this is not an exhaustive list. In
addition, each indicator taken individually may not imply a trafficking situation. Indicators listed are intended
only as potential red flags to keep in mind that, taken with other indicators, may cumulatively paint a larger
picture of human trafficking. Lastly, many of these indicators apply to victims of both transnational and internal
trafficking, and many may apply to situations of both sex and labor trafficking.
Potential Indicators include individuals who:
 Have few or no personal possessions
 Travel through town frequently
 Have few or no personal financial records
 Ask about their whereabouts and/or do not know what city they are in
 Are not in control of their own identification documents (ID or passport)
 Owe a large debt and are not able to pay it off
 Have their communication restricted or controlled. They may not be allowed to speak for themselves, a
third party may insist on translating, or they may seem watched or followed.
 Have an attorney representing them that they don’t seem to know or didn’t seem to agree to representation
 Have injuries, signs of physical abuse, and/or signs of torture
 Have signs of malnourishment
 Have been “branded” by a trafficker with the trafficker’s name
 Lack the freedom to leave working or living conditions
 Exhibit behaviors including fear, anxiety, depression, submission, tension, and/or nervousness
 Are unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips in their work environment
 Are not in control of their own money
 Work excessively long and unusual hours
 Are not allowed breaks during work
 Exhibit a lack of health care for a prolonged period of time
 Are under 18 and are providing commercial sex – de facto
 Live in locations with peculiar security including barbed wire, guarded compounds, bars on outside of
windows, or opaque boarded-up windows
 Claim to be “just visiting” an area but are unable to articulate where they are staying or to remember
addresses
 Have numerous inconsistencies in their story
 Exhibit unusually fearful or anxious behavior after bringing up “law enforcement”
 Are performing odd tasks at odd hours (e.g., washing a car at 10pm at night in the cold)
 Avoid eye contract
 Exhibit “hyper-vigilance” or paranoid behavior
 Have a loss of sense of time or space
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2006. All Rights Reserved.
The A-M-P Model | Polaris Project
The A-M-P Model –
Elements of the Crime of “Severe Forms” of Trafficking in Persons
A Conceptual Model to Understand the Federal Framework of the Crime, as Defined in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000
Whoever Knowingly…
ACTION
MEANS
PURPOSE
Recruits,
Commercial sex acts
Harbors,
Force - Causing serious
harm or physical restraint
Transports,
Fraud
Labor or Services
Provides,
Coercion – Threats of
serious harm to, or
physical restraint against,
a person or another
person
OR
Obtains
(or so attempts)
OR
Coercion – Abuse or
threatened abuse of law
or legal process
Coercion – Any scheme,
plan, or pattern…
***Sexual Servitude of a Minor: Means (entire 2nd column) not required for minors under age 18 for commercial sex acts
***NOTE: Standard to keep in mind is “SERIOUS HARM”
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2006. All Rights Reserved. Modified from Original Model of MIHRC, © 2003.
U.S. POLICY ALERT
Graphical Map Snapshot - April 2007
Compiled by
Polaris Project
Information contained within U.S. Policy Alert is developed and compiled through online research
as well as in partnership with local advocacy groups, local organizations and grassroots volunteers.
While we strive to keep the information in this document as accurate as possible, we cannot
guarantee complete accuracy. Please send us any new updates, suggested modifications, or
feedback to the Policy Alerts at [email protected]. Thank you!
© Copyright 2007 Polaris Project. All rights reserved. | www.PolarisProject.org
Tips on Policy Advocacy | Polaris Project
Tips on Policy Advocacy
A Primer on Policy Advocacy Efforts Related to State-level Trafficking Bills
Policy Advocacy in States Where a Bill has Already Been Introduced
ƒ Once a bill has been introduced, the likelihood of significantly revising its content, though not
impossible, is greatly reduced.
ƒ Many intense efforts have often gone into crafting a particular bill (including the involvement
of numerous stakeholders such as State legislators, legislative services, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), and local public interest groups), therefore, it is difficult to come in
after the fact and attempt to influence the bill once so many people feel ownership over its
content and display a reluctance to change it.
ƒ When bills are going through committees for mark-up and revision, there is a potential
window of opportunity for the language of the bill to be altered.
ƒ In this reactive stage, recommended actions include providing resources and feedback to
State legislators, conducting targeted letter-writing related to a particular bill, and mobilizing
the community to be involved in the policy-making process.
ƒ Calling the office of the sponsor of a bill is often a good way to gain information about the
bill, its history, and its progress.
ƒ Web research using State legislature websites is another effective way to learn about a bill.
Policy Advocacy in States Where a Bill has NOT Already Been Introduced
ƒ First, locate and identify receptive legislators with relevant policy platforms who may be willing
to consider sponsoring a bill. This process requires research, which can be conducted online
by learning the legislative history and past bills of various State legislators. Those who have
sponsored other bills on sexual assault, migrant rights, human rights, labor rights, child abuse,
and domestic violence may be the best bets.
ƒ The next step is to contact these targeted State legislators to gauge their level of interest to
sponsor a human trafficking bill.
ƒ It is helpful to provide resources to interested State legislators, and “do the work for them” in
some respects. Helpful resources include model legislation, comparisons to other State bills,
analyses of the state of existing criminal code in their State, and an assessment of the
presence of trafficking in their State.
ƒ Once a sponsor has been identified and is willing to move forward, be available to answer
questions throughout the process and commit to being involved for the long haul.
ƒ It is ideal to be involved very early in the legislative life cycle, before the bill has even been
crafted. At this stage, stakeholders often have the highest receptivity to advice and
consultation before the bill has been fully conceptualized in their heads.
ƒ Attending a behind-the-scenes meeting with the State-level department responsible for crafting
bills (e.g. legislative services) is a great way to answer the questions of those who will be most
directly involved in writing the actual language of the bill.
ƒ When writing a new State bill, it is important to respect and consider the existing criminal code
in that State and how the new bill may intersect with the current code.
If you have any questions or would like further information, please feel free to contact Polaris Project
at [email protected] or 202-745-1001.
Good luck!
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2006. All Rights Reserved.
11 Ways to Fight Modern-Day Slavery | Polaris Project
11 Ways to Fight Modern-Day Slavery
The following Polaris Project document offers suggestions for community members regarding different
ways to fight human trafficking and modern-day slavery. We encourage everyone to be determined to
end human trafficking and take action! Together we can build the collective anti-trafficking movement
and create systemic and social change.
1) LEARN AND BE INFORMED
Educate yourself about modern-day slavery and all its different forms – read books, watch movies,
read media articles, search the Web, and ask lots of questions. For suggestions, contact
[email protected]
2) TALK IT UP - EXPOSE THE TRUTH ABOUT MODERN-DAY SLAVERY
Talk with your family, friends, colleagues, and classmates about the issues of human trafficking and
expose the reality of modern-day slavery through one-on-one discussions and small group
conversations. Don’t underestimate the power of word-of-mouth awareness-raising! You can write
Op/Eds for a local paper, write about trafficking in an online blog, and let others know that human
trafficking is a cause that you care about!
3) HOLD A “SLAVERY STILL EXISTS” AWARENESS-RAISING EVENT
Raise awareness in your community about modern-day slavery through an awareness-raising event
designed by you! We encourage you to use the slogan “Slavery Still Exists” as a theme for your event,
and be as creative as you want. For ideas and informational materials see www.slaverystillexists.org
and/or contact us at [email protected]
4) JOIN OR START A LOCAL ANTI-TRAFFICKING COMMUNITY GROUP OR MEETUP
Join or start a local anti-trafficking group and fight human trafficking with members of your
community. Check www.meetup.com to see if an anti-trafficking Meetup already exists in your area.
For tips from the Washington DC Fight Human Trafficking Meetup on how to start and run a group,
contact [email protected]. Small groups of community members are a great way to take action
and generate grassroots social change!
5) CALL YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES AND ADVOCATE FOR LEGISLATIVE CHANGE
Call or meet with your representatives in Congress and your state legislators to urge them to support
various types of anti-trafficking legislation. Collective action is best! For information on the status of
anti-trafficking legislation in your state and to sign-up to receive regular updates, maps, and alerts on
legislative developments on trafficking in the U.S., sign up for Polaris Project’s U.S. Policy Alert on our
Web site at www.polarisproject.org To learn about policy advocacy efforts in your state and to get
more involved in advocating for strong anti-trafficking legislation, email [email protected]
6) JOIN POLARIS PROJECT’S GRASSROOTS NETWORK
Polaris Project’s Grassroots Network (GN) is a diverse group of over 6,000 community members
dedicated to combating human trafficking. In the spirit of a modern-day Underground Railroad,
Polaris Project urges you to add your voice to the grassroots movement to end modern-day slavery.
By joining, you will receive action alerts, recent news, and a steady stream of ideas on how to get
involved in the anti-trafficking movement. Join online at Polaris Project’s Web site, or at:
http://www.polarisproject.org/polarisproject/GN_p3/GN_Signup1.htm
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2007. All Rights Reserved.
11 Ways to Fight Modern-Day Slavery | Polaris Project
7) BUY PRODUCTS MADE BY SURVIVORS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING
When buying gifts for others or products for yourself, consider looking into buying products made by
survivors of human trafficking. One purchase will work towards moving more and more survivors to
their own self-sufficiency. Check out survivor-made products currently being sold by The
Emancipation Network (TEN) online at www.madebysurvivors.com.
8) MAKE A DONATION TO AN ORGANIZATION WORKING TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Donate to anti-trafficking organizations fighting on the front lines to stop modern-day slavery. Many
anti-trafficking organizations are small and struggling for operational and programmatic funds. Your
contributions will make a concrete impact, and any amount counts! To donate to Polaris Project, visit
the Polaris Project Web site at www.polarisproject.org and click on Donate.
9) OFFER YOUR SKILLS AND STRENGTHS TO VOLUNTEER LOCALLY
Learn about the anti-trafficking movement in your local area and get involved by offering your skills
and strengths!
10) DEGLAMORIZE PIMPING AND UNDERSTAND THE REALITY OF DOMESTIC SEX TRAFFICKING IN THE U.S.
As defined by the Federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and past Federal sex trafficking
cases, it is clear that pimps engage in behaviors that meet the Federal definition of human trafficking.
However, although pimps can more accurately be referred to as human traffickers, they are still
glorified in our culture. You can help fight this glorification by insisting that your friends, family,
colleagues, and classmates understand that pimping is a form of modern-day slavery occurring at
staggering proportions throughout the United States. Raise your voice to combat all the ways that
pimping is glamorized in movies, songs, TV shows, and products that promote or celebrate pimping.
11) HOLD BUSINESSES ACCOUNTABLE AND ENCOURAGE CORPORATIONS TO JOIN THE FIGHT
Businesses and corporations can be great partners in the fight to end modern-day slavery. Contact
local businesses in your area to see how they can contribute! You can also engage different
companies to inquire about their labor policies and ask what they are doing to guarantee that their
products are free from slave labor. Collective action is best!
Remember, fighting human trafficking and modern-day slavery will require building a collective
movement where local communities and community members take action! There are endless
possibilities of all the ways you can get involved and make a difference, and don’t underestimate the
power of passionate individuals to create social change!
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Key Numbers to Call| Polaris Project
Key Numbers to Call About Human Trafficking Tips, Referrals, and Reports
9-1-1 – Local Emergency Number
ƒ Will dispatch a local patrol officer from your local police department to the scene (Note: may
not be trained on responding to specific needs of trafficking cases), but best for immediate
emergency situations that require an urgent law enforcement response
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Rescue and Restore National Resource Center
ƒ 1-888-3737-888
ƒ Toll-free; National in scope; 24-hour capacity
ƒ Non-law enforcement
ƒ Will attempt to make a referral to a local human trafficking service organization in your locale
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Trafficking in Persons and Worker Exploitation Task Force Line
ƒ 1-888-428-7581
ƒ Toll-free; National in scope; Only operates on weekdays, 9am-5pm EST
ƒ Based in Washington, DC - It is a direct call to Federal law enforcement
Polaris Project’s US Tipline
ƒ 1-800-US-TIPLINE
ƒ Toll-free; National in scope; 24-hour capacity; Non law-enforcement
ƒ Direct call to a non-profit that specializes in human trafficking cases
National Domestic Violence Hotline
ƒ 1-800-799-7233
ƒ http://www.ndvh.org/
ƒ Toll-free; National in scope; 24-hour capacity
ƒ Ability to make local referrals to crisis shelters in cities and towns across the U.S.
National Runaway Switchboard
ƒ 1-800-RUNAWAY
ƒ Toll-free; National in scope; 24-hour capacity
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) National Hotline
ƒ 1-800-THE-LOST
ƒ Toll-free; National in scope; 24-hour capacity
Covenant House NineLine
ƒ 1-800-999-9999
ƒ Toll-free; National in scope; 24-hour capacity
ƒ For youth and runaway/homeless teens
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)’s CyberTipline
ƒ 1-800-843-5678
ƒ Reporting mechanism for cases of child sexual exploitation including child pornography,
online enticement of children for sex acts, sex tourism, and children being prostituted.
ƒ Toll-free; National in scope; 24-hour capacity
ƒ www.cybertipline.com
Polaris Project | P.O. Box 77892, Washington, DC 20013 | Tel: 202.745.1001 | www.PolarisProject.org | [email protected]
© Copyright Polaris Project, 2007. All Rights Reserved.