An increasing number of well-intentioned and concerned people are raising the level of discussion about child exploitation and human trafficking through social media and other channels. 

This is very much welcomed. The fact remains that children are being exploited, solicited and sold for sex every single day, often by people that they trust. To stop this from happening in the United States and around the world, we must work together to spread truths about child exploitation and trafficking in our communities and online so that perpetrators can no longer hide in the shadows.

Unfortunately, in some instances, the effort to knock out child exploitation and human trafficking is being harmed by individuals and a number of conspiracy theory groups who have chosen to latch onto child exploitation and human trafficking as a vehicle to deceptively bolster their causes.

This is not welcomed, nor should it be supported.

In order to effectively confront child exploitation and human trafficking in our communities, it is vital that everyone understand what is happening through the lens of accurate information.

To this end, O.U.R. is committed to providing factual information and actionable ways for people to contribute their voices and efforts toward protecting and rescuing exploited children.

To be clear, Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) does not condone conspiracy theories and is not affiliated with any conspiracy theory group in any way, shape, or form. From O.U.R.’s inception, we have been fighting for the innocent by partnering with law enforcement and other NGOs who share our same mission to eradicate child sex trafficking.

We encourage anyone who wants join in the fight to learn more about the true realities of child exploitation and human trafficking. We also ask that you use extra care when engaging around these issues so as not to hurt the cause. By doing so, collectively, we will be able to bring protection and healing to more children in need.

O.U.R.’s official hashtags are #OURrescue #RISEUP #EndHumanTrafficking #RiseUpForChildren #GetLoud.

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reporting 101

Please exercise good judgement when reporting to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. All tips are taken seriously, however, conspiracy-related reports from people with no direct knowledge of trafficking situations can overwhelm services meant for victims.

We are not a law enforcement body and cannot investigate trafficking leads. If you or someone you know is in danger, please contact local authorities immediately using all relevant channels of communication including: telephone, email, submissions via law enforcement websites, etc. Please leverage investigative bodies such as city police departments, county sheriff offices, state police and federal law enforcement including the FBI or HSI. Alternatively you can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or visit their website at www.humantraffickinghotline.org to report a tip.

We have compiled a guide of helpful resources to report potential human trafficking and exploitation cases — please visit here for more information. Although we are not a reporting agency, if you have exhausted all methods as outlined here you may fill out the leads form included in this blog post.