Human trafficking is a global crime and one of the worst human rights abuses of our time. It involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain any type of forced labor or commercial sex act in exchange for money or something else of value such as a place to live, food or an addictive drug. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide. It can happen in any community, and victims can be of any age, race, gender, or nationality. Anyone under the age of 18 who is exchanges sex for anything of value is considered a trafficking victim, regardless of the presence of force, fraud or coercion.
Human trafficking is the use force, fraud or coercion to compel someone to work in exploitative conditions or to sell sex. This may not involve physical transportation from one location to another as victims may be trafficked in their own home or neighborhood. It is a violation of an individual’s human rights.
Human smuggling is the business of transporting people illegally across an international border and does not involve coercion. The people the smugglers bring from one place to another place – illegally – generally have chosen to make the trip themselves for any number of reasons. Some are fleeing violence or poverty. Some need someone to help them make the journey. It is a violation of a nation’s borders.
The crime of human trafficking has two primary forms: labor trafficking and sex trafficking.
Labor trafficking involves exploitation of individuals who are forced, tricked or pressured to work in any kind of job in any industry.
Sex trafficking is the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of commercial sex act. Anyone under the age of 18 who exchanges sex for anything of value is considered a trafficking victim, regardless of the presence of force, fraud or coercion.
It is certainly concerning and discouraging when powerful rich individuals seem to be able to avoid the legal consequences of their actions. This is a law enforcement issue.
BEST works to prevent human trafficking, disrupt human trafficking, and connect survivors of human trafficking with trauma-informed employers to help them get their lives back.
Most nonprofits involved in anti-human trafficking efforts focus on policy advocacy, direct outreach to victims, and/or providing services to survivors to help them recover from the exploitation they endured. BEST is unusual in our strategic focus on working with and through businesses to eradicate human trafficking. Traffickers often co-opt the premises and/or operations of legitimate businesses for criminal activities related to human trafficking. Traffickers devastate their victims and create liabilities, reputational harm, and other risks for co-opted businesses, their staff, and customers.
Businesses are crucial to preventing human trafficking — through proactive strategies that include anti-exploitation policies and protocols — and to intervening in human trafficking activity to end it before more people are victimized. Public-facing employees are often the first people to witness the crime of human trafficking. If they are trained and equipped to respond effectively, businesses can help interrupt human trafficking activity in progress. Employees who have an empathetic understanding of how traffickers victimize people can help those who are being exploited to escape their traffickers and connect with the services they need to rebuild their lives and avoid further exploitation. Yet prior to BEST forming, businesses had been almost completely absent in the efforts to address this crime. BEST was launched in 2012 to help fill this gap: We aim to drive traffickers out of business.
No industry or economic sector is immune to human trafficking. Human trafficking has been identified in over 25 industries in the U.S., including retail, restaurants, finance, and recreation.
BEST serves human trafficking victims, survivors, and those at risk for being trafficked by equipping employers to prevent human trafficking and help connect survivors with the support they need. More specifically, BEST serves:
Employer ACTS is BEST’s multiprong strategy to equip employers to prevent human trafficking from occurring, prevent existing trafficking from continuing, and prevent survivors from being re-trafficked through safe employment. ACTS represents:
Awareness: BEST raises awareness about the impact of human trafficking on employers, and assists employers in raising awareness internally and externally to stop human trafficking.
Consultation: BEST consults with employers on strategies to prevent and counter human trafficking, advises on best practices, and provides model policies.
Training: BEST trains employees with the knowledge and skills to recognize and respond effectively and safely to signs of human trafficking, in ways that center victims’ needs. BEST provides training for front line employees in hospitality, aviation, maritime and transit. Additionally, BEST Basics prevention training is applicable to any industry.
Safe Jobs: BEST connects agencies that directly serve human trafficking survivors and those at risk of being trafficked with businesses that offer stable employment, through the innovative Safe Jobs Collaborative BEST founded and leads. Since one of the biggest barriers survivors face when attempting to leave their traffickers is a lack of economic alternatives, support for both obtaining and maintaining safe employment is essential.
While BEST does not provide direct services to survivors of human trafficking, we founded and lead the Safe Jobs Collaborative, partnering with direct service agencies in western Washington to connect them with employers who are willing to hire survivors and people at risk of human trafficking. Survivors need safe employment that offers them an opportunity to achieve financial independence and build the life they want for themselves.
