Every July, we ask our community to Rise Up in the days leading to World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30 – a global day of awareness, action, and hope. We explain what it entails, how to become part of the movement, and who benefits because you’ve chosen to join the fight against human trafficking and exploitation.
This year, I want to tell you why I Rise Up — not just in July, but every single day of the year.
My First Assignment
Long before I became CEO of Our Rescue, I was a young federal law enforcement officer stationed at the U.S.-Mexico border. It was my first assignment. It was also the first time I witnessed the exploitation of human beings by ruthless smuggling and trafficking cartels, something most people will thankfully never have to witness.
I still remember the moment it hit me: this isn’t a distant crisis or just a border crisis. It’s happening in our own backyard, hiding in plain sight, and most Americans have no idea it’s there.
That moment changed the course of my life and reaffirmed why I chose a career in law enforcement: intervention and action around protecting people facing exploitation and violence. And it’s the same fire that drives me to lead Our Rescue today.
What “Rise Up” Really Means
Rise Up isn’t a slogan. It’s a movement.
For too long, many people believed the fight ended with arresting human traffickers.
Accountability matters — but it’s only the beginning. The real story, and often the hardest work, begins after exploitation ends. Recovery isn’t measured in days or weeks. It can take years of safety, support, healing, and opportunity. That’s why Our Rescue invests not only in disrupting exploitation, but also in helping communities strengthen the systems survivors rely on long after the headlines fade.
Rising Up means refusing to look away. It is everyone’s job. It means zero tolerance for complacency, no longer telling ourselves “this can’t happen here” — because it can, and it does, in every kind of community, regardless of geography, income, race, or background. It also means having conversations that can make some of us uncomfortable. That dialogue can be lifesaving, and the discomfort we may feel is nothing compared to what survivors have lived through.
Outreach. Education. Prevention. These aren’t buzzwords — they’re the equipment we use to climb this mountain, together, guided by the people with lived and professional expertise: survivor care professionals, law enforcement officers, ICAC investigators, and policymakers among others.
Why Now
During my last four years at Homeland Security Investigations, I saw anti-trafficking become a real rallying point for law enforcement. Agencies started hiring and training survivor care specialists, embedding trauma-informed expertise directly into investigations. That didn’t happen by accident. It happened because people refused to stop talking about it. I saw non-profits, policy makers, legislators, financial services, and businesses start working together with law enforcement to raise awareness and drive meaningful change that helped apprehend human traffickers and support survivor-led healing and long-term recovery.
We cannot lose this momentum. Not now. Which is why we’ve built new tools to keep the conversation moving — including the hardest one of all: how do you talk to a child about online predators and grooming tactics without terrifying them? Our Rescue has developed gamified training content, and an animation series designed to take the sting out of that first, critical conversation. Because too often, that first conversation never happens — and silence is exactly what predators are counting on.
Let me be direct: we will never arrest our way out of this crisis. Enforcement is one piece of something much bigger. The rest – prevention, outreach, education, and understanding what survivors carry long after the headlines fade – that’s on all of us.
Who Inspires Me to Rise Up
Two groups, without hesitation.
Survivors. Their resilience, leadership, and willingness to use their experiences to strengthen others remind me every day why this work matters. Every one of them reminds me why we can’t slow down. We must press on, together.
Protectors. Law enforcement officers and survivor care professionals show up for this fight every single day, often carrying the kind of weight most of us will never fully understand. I come from that community. I’ve experienced that toll. They deserve to be seen — and they deserve to know they’re not carrying the burden alone.
I Rise Up Because…
I Rise Up because our donors, our partners, and our communities have already Risen Up to join this fight. They’ve trusted us with their belief that change is possible. That trust isn’t a talking point to me — it’s a responsibility. It challenges me every day to lead with integrity and steward our mission well, and to pursue meaningful impact for survivors and the communities we serve.
If you ask me what I want Our Rescue’s legacy to be, it’s simple: very serious people doing very serious work — building trust with every partner, meeting people where they are, and delivering real impact for survivors and the communities standing with us.
Can One Person Really Make a Difference?
Yes. Absolutely, unequivocally yes.
I get asked this constantly, and my answer is the same. So many survivor stories trace back to one person who made a life-changing choice at exactly the right moment — a teacher, a neighbor, or a stranger who simply paid attention. Time and again, investigators will tell you that one person noticing something unusual or speaking up can change the course of an entire case.
So, this July, here is what I’m asking of you — not someday, but now:
Get educated. Learn the real tactics human traffickers use. Understand how force, fraud, and coercion unfold — slowly, deliberately, not overnight. The more informed we as individuals and communities become, the fewer places human traffickers have left to hide.
Get engaged. Join us. We need you in this fight — not eventually, today. Help us build community partnerships, outreach and education, and training and prevention efforts. Invite your community into this conversation, even when it’s uncomfortable. Help us close the gaps law enforcement faces with the tools, training, and resources they need to save lives.
This is a fight with room for everyone — and one we cannot win without you. Every conversation, every informed choice, every partnership, and every act of courage help build a future where exploitation has fewer places to hide.
That’s why I Rise Up. And I hope you’ll Rise Up with us.
— Derek Benner, CEO, Our Rescue
