Each year, an unknown number of men, women, and children fall victim to human trafficking, a form of modern day slavery that has an impact on every industry in the world.
Human trafficking is an issue that has been addressed by local, state, and federal governments, the United Nations, and other global organizations who aim to address the issue of human trafficking in various forms. The Polaris Project, founded in 2002, strives to help victims of all forms of human trafficking and to raise awareness of this global human rights issue.
History of The Polaris Project
In 2002, Katherine Chon and Derek Ellerman were seniors at Brown University. Chon and Ellerman were living in an apartment complex that was down the street from a massage parlor that had recently been the object of a police raid, which found six Asian women who, according to the Polaris Project's website, had "cigarette burns on their arms and were being held in a situation of debt bondage."
News of the massage parlor raid and the condition of the six Asian women found at the location spurred Chon's and Ellerman's passion to combat human trafficking, a global human rights issue that involves every industry and every country in the world. Chon and Ellerman's passion also led to the launch of The Polaris Project on February 14, 2002, which fully began to take shape after Chon and Ellerman's graduation and move to Washington, D.C.
The Polaris Project is so named because of Polaris, or the North Star, which is the star that runaway slaves in nineteenth-century America used to navigate their way north and into free territory.
Mission of The Polaris Project
The Polaris Project is one of the leading organization that takes a holistic approach to combating human trafficking and providing assistance to human trafficking victims. Advocates and professionals who work with The Polaris Project work to empower human trafficking victims, as well as local grassroots volunteers who work in partnership with the project, and to use the organization's limited resources to provide services to clients, work with community groups, and help everyone involved with human trafficking - including those who are guilty of human trafficking themselves.
Programs Available Through The Polaris Project
The Polaris Project offers a variety of programs related to human trafficking. One of the notable programs is the National Human Trafficking Hotline, a call center available in both English and Spanish 24 hours a day throughout the United States. The hotline allows callers to leave tips as to where human trafficking hubs or victims may be found, to connect community advocates with resources for human trafficking victims, and provide general information about human trafficking.
In addition, The Polaris Project works as an advocacy agency, working to promote anti-human trafficking legislation in all fifty states and on the national level. The Polaris Project also helps to sponsor community campaigns to put pressure on local and state law enforcement to investigate human trafficking rings in their jurisdiction and to remedy situations that allow human trafficking to continue.
Among other services, The Polaris Project offers a variety of education, political, and social programs that relate to all people involved in human trafficking:
- clinical and social services for human trafficking victims
- public outreach
- technical and job training
- fellowship and leadership development training
- international programming
The Polaris Project regularly strives to use new and innovative approaches to fighting human trafficking due to limited resources. In recognition of their work and organizational structure, Charity Navigator has recognized The Polaris Project as a four star non-profit organization. The Polaris Project has also been supported and recognized by many corporations and government organizations for their work.
The Polaris Project, founded by two Brown University seniors in 2002, strives to help combat the global issue of human trafficking using a holistic approach to the issue. Just as the star that inspired the organization's name, members of The Polaris Project hope that their work can guide those who find themselves trapped in modern-day slavery to a life of freedom.
Sources
- "About Us" Polaris Project, copyright 2010
- "Mission and Values" Polaris Project, copyright 2010
- "Polaris Project" Charity Navigator, copyright 2011
- "Supporters" Polaris Project, copyright 2010
Ashley Anderson - Ashley is an Ohio-based writer and editor with specializations in higher education, writing, and social activism.
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