Our Story
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In 2011, a Washington-based foundation hosted a series of meetings to examine how trafficking might be prevented in the state. A clear consensus emerged: Businesses were central to the prevention and reporting of human trafficking yet they were almost entirely absent in statewide and nationwide efforts and protocols.
BEST: Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking was launched in March 2012 to fill that gap. |
David Arkless speaks at BEST Launch.
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Since our launch, BEST has provided awareness, consultation, and training to employers in a variety of sectors: hospitality, information technology, oil and gas, and tourism, to name a few. As a result, we have seen increased prevention efforts and an increasing number of trafficking victims escape their exploiters. A few highlights of our partnerships are as follows:
In 2012, BEST forged a partnership with the Washington Hospitality Association to develop best practices and training for hotel employees to proactively prevent human trafficking. After delivering this training to counties across Washington state, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) sponsored BEST to provide the training online. In 2016, BEST launched the online training for hotel staff and owners and we began supporting AAHOA’s efforts to provide training to their members, who own half of the hotels in the US and employ over 800,000 staff. BEST also began providing this training to brands and hotel ownership across the US.
In 2014, BEST helped to launch the Ending Exploitation Collaborative (EEC), which gathered leading stakeholders to reduce sexual exploitation by reducing demand for exploited people. In partnership with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the City of Seattle Attorney’s Office, the Organization for Prostitution Survivors, and Seattle Against Slavery, BEST helped to implement the most innovative and comprehensive strategies in the country to reduce demand. Within a few years, King County created a measurable decrease in solicitation for sex while also increasing opportunities for exploited people to exit prostitution.
In 2015, BEST led a 2-day conversation with business leaders at the Carter Center in Atlanta. BEST was asked to implement the strategy arising from that conversation and expand our work across industries. Working with industry leaders, BEST created BEST Practices for prevention and launched the Employers Alliance, a collaborative of public and private employers working to stop exploitation.
BEST launched our online training platform in 2016. BEST has developed labor and sex trafficking prevention courses for employees of different sectors:
In 2017, BEST began expanding our Safe Jobs Collaborative in King County, Washington, with a goal to create a better pipeline to employment for survivors and communities at risk. BEST launched the program with our partners in November 2018.
Over the years, our staff have directly provided awareness, consultation, and training to over 200 small, medium, and large employers including: Carlson Wagonlit Travel, United Parcel Service (UPS), King County, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, the Washington Technology Industry Association, and many more.
BEST is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is registered in the state of Washington.
In 2012, BEST forged a partnership with the Washington Hospitality Association to develop best practices and training for hotel employees to proactively prevent human trafficking. After delivering this training to counties across Washington state, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) sponsored BEST to provide the training online. In 2016, BEST launched the online training for hotel staff and owners and we began supporting AAHOA’s efforts to provide training to their members, who own half of the hotels in the US and employ over 800,000 staff. BEST also began providing this training to brands and hotel ownership across the US.
In 2014, BEST helped to launch the Ending Exploitation Collaborative (EEC), which gathered leading stakeholders to reduce sexual exploitation by reducing demand for exploited people. In partnership with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the City of Seattle Attorney’s Office, the Organization for Prostitution Survivors, and Seattle Against Slavery, BEST helped to implement the most innovative and comprehensive strategies in the country to reduce demand. Within a few years, King County created a measurable decrease in solicitation for sex while also increasing opportunities for exploited people to exit prostitution.
In 2015, BEST led a 2-day conversation with business leaders at the Carter Center in Atlanta. BEST was asked to implement the strategy arising from that conversation and expand our work across industries. Working with industry leaders, BEST created BEST Practices for prevention and launched the Employers Alliance, a collaborative of public and private employers working to stop exploitation.
BEST launched our online training platform in 2016. BEST has developed labor and sex trafficking prevention courses for employees of different sectors:
- Training for hotel staff
- Legal education
- Basic education for any type of employee
In 2017, BEST began expanding our Safe Jobs Collaborative in King County, Washington, with a goal to create a better pipeline to employment for survivors and communities at risk. BEST launched the program with our partners in November 2018.
Over the years, our staff have directly provided awareness, consultation, and training to over 200 small, medium, and large employers including: Carlson Wagonlit Travel, United Parcel Service (UPS), King County, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, the Washington Technology Industry Association, and many more.
BEST is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is registered in the state of Washington.