5 Ways to get involved in the fight to end human trafficking
Educate yourself.
Education is the most important step in understanding human trafficking. In order to end it, we need to understand how to prevent it, what it actually looks like in our communities, and what steps we can take to do more. Knowledge truly is power, and that power comes in the form of being able to recognize trafficking happening right here. Here are some great resources we recommend to get started on your human trafficking education journey:
ACT Alberta Human Trafficking 101
RESET Sexual Exploitation & Trafficking Training
Like, share, follow and engage with anti-trafficking organizations on social media.
Social media provides a unique opportunity to be acutely aware of what is going on in our communities. Organizations like ours rely on our followers to spread the word, engage with us, and let us know what you are seeing in your neighborhoods and networks. Sharing our posts and engaging with us helps spread awareness and reach people who may not otherwise find us.
Be a responsible consumer.
Do you know what countries your goods come from? The US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report puts countries in tiers for reporting purposes. The Department places each country in this Report into one of four tiers, as mandated by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). This placement is based not on the size of the country’s problem but on the extent of governments’ efforts to meet the TVPA’s minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking, which are generally consistent with the Palermo Protocol.
“While Tier 1 is the highest ranking, it does not mean that a country has no human trafficking problem or that it is doing enough to address the problem. Rather, a Tier 1 ranking indicates that a government has made efforts to address the problem that meet the TVPA’s minimum standards. To maintain a Tier 1 ranking, governments need to demonstrate appreciable progress each year in combating trafficking.” - 2019 Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report.
Guide to Tiers
Tier 1: Countries whose governments fully meet the TVPA’s minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.
Tier 2: Countries whose governments do not fully meet the TVPA’s minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.
Tier 3: Countries whose governments do not fully meet the TVPA’s minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so. No tier ranking is permanent. Every country, including the United States, can do more. All countries must maintain and continually increase efforts to combat trafficking.
Understanding where your goods and services come from is not an easy task, but it is an effective one. Be aware of goods and services from the countries that fall under Tier 3. The Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2023 listed those countries as Afghanistan, Algeria, Belarus, Burma, Cambodia, Chad, China, Cuba, Curacao, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Iran, Korea, Macau S.A.R., Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Saint Maarten, South Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
There are apps and sites available that can help us all understand how intricately human trafficking is woven into our every day lives and how we are all unknowingly contributing to it. Some of the apps ranking highest are:
Sweat & Toil: The Sweat & Toil app was created by the U.S. Department of Labor to inform consumers of items created through child labor or forced labor. The app also provides global child labor data, research on countries’ efforts to eliminate child labor, and a review of laws related to child and forced labor.
Good On You: Good On You is another app that can increase human trafficking awareness. This app is an effective way to hold fashion brands accountable. Good On You researches clothing companies and compiles the information into an easy-to-understand score. The scores are based on companies’ commitments to doing better by people, animals, and the earth. This includes sustainability efforts, animal testing, and the treatment of employees. This app enables consumers to make informed decisions on where they are purchasing clothes and increases brand transparency. If a brand does not appear on the app, Good On You encourages users to reach out to them.
The STOP APP: The STOP APP is the first app of its kind to combine community empowerment, big data management, and anti-trafficking expertise to disrupt human trafficking. The STOP APP can be downloaded by anyone, anywhere in the world who has access to a smartphone. The app is anonymous, confidential, and secure – it is available in 15 languages and allows you to submit suspicious activity quickly by sending text-based messages and uploading photos and videos.
Donate to Organizations Who Work with Victims and Survivors of Human Trafficking
We literally cannot do this work without you. Donations to ACT Alberta go directly to victim and survivor costs, such as safe housing, transportation, counseling, basic needs, food, and clothing. ACT Alberta’s Survivors Fund bypasses all administrative costs so that 100% of the donation goes to the survivor. There are many other organizations doing amazing work as well and we as a community can help!
Host a Third-Party Fundraiser
Hosting a third-party fundraiser is a fantastic way to give back and have some fun while you are at it! Many organizations support this to expand their reach and raise funds, especially if they don’t have the capacity or funding to host events of their own. ACT Alberta has a Third-Party Fundraising Kit with printable resources and ideas available to download on our website.
Contact Us to find out more!