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It can seem like all the stars have to align perfectly for survivors to exit trafficking situations and pursue lasting freedom. Along the way, they navigate countless roadblocks that keep them from getting housing, health care, legal assistance, and other services they need to heal and thrive. From more than two decades of working with … Continued

It can seem like all the stars have to align perfectly for survivors to exit trafficking situations and pursue lasting freedom. Along the way, they navigate countless roadblocks that keep them from getting housing, health care, legal assistance, and other services they need to heal and thrive. From more than two decades of working with … Continued

I didn’t always identify as a survivor of human trafficking. I exited before trafficking was a buzzword. I was in and out of domestic violence shelters in Michigan, who were aware that I was involved in prostitution but didn’t identify it as trafficking. For years, I thought of myself as an ex-prostitute — after all, … Continued

It can seem like all the stars have to align perfectly for survivors to exit trafficking situations and pursue lasting freedom. Along the way, they navigate countless roadblocks that keep them from getting housing, health care, legal assistance, and other services they need to heal and thrive. From more than two decades of working with … Continued

It can seem like all the stars have to align perfectly for survivors to exit trafficking situations and pursue lasting freedom. Along the way, they navigate countless roadblocks that keep them from getting housing, health care, legal assistance, and other services they need to heal and thrive. From more than two decades of working with … Continued

A case study in collaboration that brings social science, subject-matter expertise, and technology together to move beyond prediction — toward AI-enabled decision support and prescriptive insight. ********** A Missing Link: Turning Scattered Insights Into a Unified Lens Human trafficking is one of the most intractable human rights challenges of our time. Despite decades of effort … Continued

With the support of HHS’s Office on Trafficking In Persons, Polaris operated a trusted national lifeline for trafficking victims for almost two decades — a program built from a survivor’s vision and expanded through deep listening and action. That experience made one thing clear: stopping trafficking means going beyond crisis response.  Survivors asked us to … Continued

In 2007, Polaris helped bring a bold survivor idea to life: a national human trafficking hotline. With the support of HHS’s Office on Trafficking In Persons, we built it from the ground up and operated it for nearly two decades, connecting hundreds of thousands of people to safety, support, and justice. But from the very … Continued

On July 31, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a remission process to compensate survivors of sex trafficking whose abuse was facilitated through ads on Backpage.com or CityXGuide. Eligible individuals need to file a petition by February 2, 2026.  Filing a remission petition can feel overwhelming. But the Backpage Survivor Remission Network, created by … Continued