Human Trafficking Is Hiding in Plain Sight. Together, We Can Rise Up.

Human trafficking does not always look the way we expect.  It does not only happen in distant countries, across borders, or through dramatic kidnappings. According to the US Department of Justice, it can happen in big cities, small towns, rural communities, and online. It can even begin with a message, a relationship, a promise…

Why I Rise Up: A Message from Our Rescue CEO Derek Benner 

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…

Human Trafficking During Conflict: A Crisis for Women, Peace, and Security 

Our Rescue Perspective: Renata Parras General Counsel, Our Rescue  As of June 2026, the global landscape of conflict has reached a historic high, with more state-based armed conflicts active than at any point since the end of World War II. While major wars in the Middle East and the Ukraine have dominated international…

The Intersection of Human Trafficking and Substance Addiction: A Road to Healing

The realities of human trafficking are often much more complex than they appear on the surface. While it is defined by force, fraud, or coercion, the pathways into exploitation and the ways control is maintained can take many forms. One of the devastating layers of control and coercion traffickers use…

How Our Rescue Is Supporting Human Trafficking and Child Protection Efforts During the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Large-scale events, like the 2026 FIFA World Cup, bring together communities, fans, businesses, and visitors from around the world. With matches taking place across 16 host markets, the World Cup requires extensive planning and coordination among public safety agencies, community organizations, and multidisciplinary partners long before the first match begins…

Cutting Off the Demand: Who is Buying Sex?  

When we think about human trafficking, we often picture traffickers, the recruiters and manipulators; or we focus on rescue and the moment someone reaches safety. Both of these pieces matter deeply.   But there is another part of the story that is harder to talk about, a part that quietly sustains the entire system.  The buyers.  The…

The Hidden Face: Why Modern Traffickers Are Harder to Catch 

In order to successfully combat human trafficking today, we must understand that everything we thought we knew about who the traffickers are is incomplete. In the past, we were warned about “strange white vans” or being abducted while traveling in foreign countries while on vacation. The modern-day trafficker has become more concealed, while still hiding in plain sight. The reality…

Preventing Human Trafficking at the 2026 Super Bowl

While most of the world is focused on the game, law enforcement and organizations are focused on fighting human trafficking at the Super Bowl.

The Truth About Human Trafficking at the Super Bowl

Awareness campaigns and police operations run in Super Bowl host cities have garnered lots of media attention. But does the Super Bowl truly lead to an increase in instances of human trafficking?

The Digital White Van: Protecting Kids in a Connected World 

This January 11, for National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, Our Rescue hosted a free webinar titled “The Digital White Van,” with experts from DHS’s Blue Campaign, Know2Protect, Yahoo Security Engineers, SEARCH and Our Rescue, including a survivor of sex trafficking. January 11th reminds…

 What Is Human Trafficking Prevention Month

Human trafficking prevention month takes place every January and focuses on raising awareness, educating the public, and calling communities to action in preventing human trafficking in all its forms. In 2010, the President of the United States formally dedicated January as a national awareness month, calling on individuals, communities, businesses,…

How Many Human Trafficking Cases Started Online: The Digital Crisis Our Rescue Is Fighting Worldwide

While many traffickers may have historically relied on in-person recruitment at places like bus stations, malls, and vulnerable neighborhoods, the digital age has radically expanded their toolkit with alarming statistics revealing that more and more  human trafficking cases started online. Recent data shows that…

Lights, Camera, Captive: Suzie’s Journey to Freedom 

Eight years ago, Suzie’s life changed forever. What began as a relationship with someone she thought cared for her, soon turned into manipulation and control.  “I was young and naïve,” Suzie said. “This guy really liked me and wanted to know everything about me. Little did I know, he was…

How Does Technology Help Human Traffickers? Exposing Digital Exploitation Methods and Combat Strategies

The Digital Evolution of Exploitation Human Sex Trafficking and online exploitation has evolved dramatically for consumers and criminals alike. And for those working in the fight against exploitation, understanding how technology can both enable predators as well as stopping predators is crucial for developing effective countermeasures. According to the…

A Behind the Scenes Look into the Creation of “Hiding in Plain Sight: America’sTrafficking Epidemic”

“If I can bring help to even one person to understand what’s happening, to see the signs, to know how to act, that’s enough,” said Nick Nanton, Emmy Award-Winning Director. “Even if it’s just one parent, one teacher, one community member who can make a difference, that’s why…

Human trafficking routes reach new territory across Africa and Asia, sparking urgent action

A new report by the 2025 Freedom Collaborative warns that perpetrators of human trafficking are pushing into new territory, funneling victims from East Africa and Horn of Africa into Southeast Asia, including the countries of Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia and Thailand. Ethiopia is also emerging as a key…

From Trauma to Triumph: A Survivor’s Journey of Resilience and Enterprise 

When *Luya returned to Zambia after surviving human trafficking, she carried the weight of trauma and uncertainty. Life at home was not easy, she needed emotional healing and faced economic hardship. Yet even in the midst of this struggle, she began taking small but powerful steps to rebuild her life.  The first…

Shaman Sentenced to 34 Years for Exploiting Children Under Guise of Spiritual Rituals 

Claiming to be a shaman in Ecuador, a Peruvian national named Luzgardo M. used spiritual rituals as a cover to secretly exploit children. Investigators discovered that he was filming minors during these so-called ceremonies, actively producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) under the guise of spiritual practices.  In July of 2025,…

Homeless Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Sexual Misconduct with a Minor 

In the spring of 2025, law enforcement received a call about a missing 15-year-old girl. The caller, who had taken the girl’s phone, told officers about her boyfriend who was a man going by the name Devan “Harmon.” At just eighteen years old, Devan was homeless and had reportedly moved…

“I Thought My Life Was Over”: Aisha’s Story of Survival and Strength 

*Survivor name changed for privacy  Aisha * was only 17 when her world changed. She left her village in Eastern Uganda believing she found work at a domestic job in neighboring Kenya. But the promise was a lie.  What awaited her instead was exploitation, isolation, and fear. Far from home,…

109 Children Rescued, 244 Arrested in Statewide Crackdown

In May 2025, hundreds of law enforcement officers across North Texas joined forces for one mission: to rescue children. Operation Soteria Shield, a month-long effort led by the FBI Dallas and the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, targeted individuals exploiting minors online, and what unfolded was…

The Dark Market Economics of Human Trafficking

The Dark Market Economics of Human Trafficking  Beyond the Human Cost  A $172.6 billion industry thrives in the shadows of our global economy, profiting from human suffering (International Labour Organization [ILO], Global Estimates Report, 2023). Human trafficking generates profits that rival some of the world’s largest…

Sounding the Alarm: Why the Fight Against CSAM Can’t Wait

ARLINGTON, Texas — Sex crimes against children are surging online, creating a backlog of digital evidence piling up faster than police officers across the US can sort through. Cyber tips for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) cases have tripled nationwide since 2020. This leaves police departments facing a logjam of…

Debunked Images Found on Google Maps in LA Ignites Conversation around Real Threat of Human Trafficking

Over the past day, disturbing markings such as “HELP” found on Google Maps in LA went viral, sparking fears of human trafficking in the area. While the Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed there is no legitimate threat, and the images are over a year old, the incident highlights a…

Exposing Racial Disparities in Human Trafficking 

Black, indigenous, and migrant populations are disproportionately affected by human trafficking. As a result, addressing human trafficking requires acknowledging racial disparities and addressing systemic issues that contribute to vulnerable people.   Trafficking is often a story of poverty and systemic inequalities   Poverty or economic vulnerability can lead people to trafficking. According…

Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness and Human Trafficking  

Most of us take a safe and stable home for granted. People with housing insecurity risk of becoming victims of both sex and/or labor trafficking. The odds that an unhoused person will be trafficked are considerably higher than a person with a secure place to live.  The overlap between homelessness…

Main Causes of Human Trafficking

A crime involving the exploitation of someone for the purpose of compelled labor or a commercial sex act through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. (DHS) Where a person younger than age 18 is induced to perform a commercial sex act, it is a crime…

How Can I Identify Human Trafficking?

There are many potential signs of human trafficking. Signs can be physical or emotional. Suspicious activities and concerning situations are also possible indicators that something may be wrong.

10 Ways to Stop Human Trafficking

Human trafficking impacts millions of people around the world each day, with sex trafficking and labor trafficking being the most prevalent forms. However, there is hope in the fight to stop human trafficking. Here are 10 proven strategies, beginning with five immediate actions you can take. Raise Awareness – Protect…

How to Report Human Trafficking 

If you have any reason to believe that someone is in immediate danger, please contact law enforcement immediately by calling 911. A crime involving the exploitation of someone for the purpose of compelled labor or a commercial sex act through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. (…

Human Trafficking | Myth vs. Truth

It’s Everywhere

What Is Forced Labor?

Defining Forced Labor  “Forced labor occurs when individuals are compelled against their will to provide work or service through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.” (U.S. Department of Homeland Security)  Specifically, forced labor refers to individuals 18 and older. Child labor, a subsection of forced…

Why Hotels Are Being Sued For Human Trafficking

Hotels Are Facing a Surge of Human Trafficking Lawsuits

Human Trafficking Statistics and Facts In 2024

From high profile cities in the United States to remote locations around the world, human trafficking is a relatively silent epidemic that impacts communities everywhere.

Sound of Freedom: the Faces of Human Trafficking

"Sound of Freedom" is an award-winning film that depicts both real-life and dramatized rescue missions to help save children who are being sex trafficked across the globe.  Some of these stories are based on the actual work of O.U.R.’s partnership with law enforcement to bring criminal traffickers to justice.

How Big of a Problem is Human Trafficking?

How big of a problem is human trafficking? To answer this question, we don’t want to just tell you that human trafficking (most commonly labor and sex trafficking) is a huge problem, but also provide numbers that can be readily understood.

Is Human Trafficking Happening in the United States?

Human trafficking is happening all over the world and the United States is no exception.

The Different Types of Human Trafficking

When people think about human trafficking, they often imagine the scenario in the major feature film Taken, where a young girl is abducted on a trip to Europe and subsequently exploited for sexual situations with paying customers.  While there are certainly real elements of human trafficking present in the film,…

The Connection Between War and Human Trafficking

As the Russian war continues in Ukraine, the threat of trafficking exploits grows.

The Link Between Mental Illness and Human Trafficking

Discussing the relationship between mental illness and human trafficking can help create an environment of understanding of the experiences of survivors, as well as how different mental conditions can affect one’s risk of being trafficked. 

LGBTQ+ Youth and Human Trafficking

While human trafficking affects every demographic, studies show that LGBTQ+ youth are at an elevated risk for being trafficked. This risk comes from higher rates of discrimination, less social and economic support, and higher rates of homelessness than the average youth (Polaris Project.) This combination of vulnerabilities culminates in an…

The Forgotten Survivors of Human Trafficking

“If people hear my story, then they will know the reality we face. I know this happens to more men, I still know men stuck in the system. I want my story out there so that people will know, people will be angry, and people will fight for change. Then, maybe someday, this will stop happening.”

4 Types of Human Trafficking & Exploitation and How Our Rescue Fights Them

Child sex trafficking has been reported in all 50 U.S. States. Read the most common forms of trafficking & exploitation.

What Human Trafficking Looks Like

There is a common misconception that human trafficking victims are kept in cages and chains. While this is not outside the realm of possibilities in the most egregious cases, human trafficking is so pervasive, in part, due to how easily it can be kept under the radar.