Polaris Project

Polaris’ mission is to combat human trafficking and restore freedom to survivors.

The way we think about our mission and the impact we make is framed by two overarching concepts: [1.] working upstream to transform systems that allow trafficking to flourish in order to prevent future victimization, and [2.] working towards downstream responses that disrupt and deter the crime while supporting those who have already been victimized or who remain vulnerable to a cycle of re-victimization.

Through the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, a 24/7 helpline that connects victims and survivors to readily accessible resources and support systems, Polaris continues to help those impacted by human trafficking rebuild their lives. Additionally, Polaris analyses data and intelligence systems, financial systems, and models of sex and labor trafficking in order to maximize social and systemic change to determine and pilot possible responses.

As the operator of the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline for over 11 years, Polaris has built partnerships with thousands of service providers and law enforcement entities across the country. Today, the Polaris brand is well known and trusted by communities, municipal and state leaders, corporations, and across Capitol Hill. As the nerve center for the anti-trafficking movement, Polaris has generated one of the largest data sets on human trafficking in the country, derived in part from our work on over 50,000 cases of human trafficking through the hotline. Plus, in a field divided by those that work on either sex trafficking or labor trafficking, Polaris focuses on all forms and types of victims and defines its mission broadly and inclusively, enabling a bridging an unifying role that few others play.

Since 2007, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has learned of and responded to 50,000 instances of human trafficking across the United States. As a leader in the global fight to eradicate slavery, Polaris works to equip other actors across the anti-trafficking field, including service providers, law enforcement, and corporate leaders on how to identify and stop trafficking.

While reaching victims and survivors of human trafficking with critical help and resources is a major focus of the hotline, Polaris also works to understand and eliminate the root causes of trafficking at scale. In 2017 Polaris released the ground-breaking report, “The Typology of Modern Slavery: Defining Sex and Labor Trafficking in the United States,” becoming the first organization to identify the 25 major types of trafficking present in the U.S. In the following year, we released our “On-Ramps, Intersections, and Exit Routes: A Roadmap for Systems and Industries to Prevent and Disrupt Human Trafficking” report, which details how legitimate industries and businesses contribute to human-trafficking and what these entities can do to better combat trafficking at scale.

Our expertise has enabled us to play a framework-shaping role for hundreds of communities and stakeholders in the field. Moving forward, we are building programs focused on data and intelligence systems, financial systems, and deep dives on different models of sex and labor trafficking in order to maximize social and systemic change.