“Megan Lundstrom is the leader we need at this point in time. We are excited to announce that a survivor leader will take the reins of an organization that has always prioritized listening to survivors,” said Jean Gilbert, board chair of Polaris. “Her appointment is a natural step for us. We have always admired her work and are grateful that she is bringing all of her experience in the anti-trafficking field to the CEO position.”

“I am honored to step into the role of CEO at Polaris and to work alongside the dedicated partners, advocates, and professionals committed to combating human trafficking. My focus is on strengthening collaboration across all sectors while ensuring that the experiences, needs, and rights of survivors remain at the heart of our work. Together, we can build meaningful solutions that create lasting change.”

In addition to her experience as a national speaker and trainer, Ms. Lundstrom is the author of The Survivor’s Guide to Money, a financial wellness curriculum designed for survivors of exploitation and trafficking. Her expertise in helping survivors understand the financial abuse they endured, identify obstacles, and set goals on their journey to financial wellness not only continues the dynamic of listening to survivors but also deepens the understanding of what they need to make empowered choices as they recover their freedom.

Ms. Lundstrom is a national speaker and trainer, and internationally published researcher on topics including human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. She is a Network Consultant through the Office for Trafficking in Persons, is an alum of the Human Trafficking Leadership Academy through NHTTAC, and has served on advisory boards for Polaris, ALIGHT, and American University’s MOSAICS program.

The post Polaris Appoints Megan Lundstrom as New CEO first appeared on Polaris.

Catherine joined Polaris as a Chief Program Officer in 2018. In 2020, the Polaris Board of Directors appointed her CEO after a nationwide search. As a long time leader in the fight against human trafficking and an early advocate of centering survivors in the work, Catherine brought her deep expertise in innovative anti-trafficking programs to the organization, leading the way on new programs and projects like the National Survivor Study, the Polaris Resilience Fund, the Financial Intelligence Unit, and Polaris’s migrant worker communication platform, Nonechka. 

“This has been a difficult decision. After six life-changing years at Polaris and twenty-five years in the anti-trafficking movement, it is time for me to rest and make room for new and different ways to take up our collective fight for justice and equity. Polaris is in excellent hands with Jen and Taskeen. I have worked alongside them every day, and they are very skilled leaders with integrity, commitment, and passion,” said Chen.

She added, “I am forever grateful for our incredibly talented and dedicated team. I have always believed in the work of Polaris to advance real solutions to what victims and survivors need and I am so proud of the work we have done together. Thank you also to the members of the Polaris Board of Directors, our many partners across the U.S., Mexico, Canada and around the world, and our many supporters and allies. Most importantly, thank you to the many survivor leaders I was privileged to work with who continued to teach me and challenge me every day.”

Starting in January, Polaris will start a nationwide search for a new CEO. 

The post After Six Years, Catherine Chen Decides to Step Down as Polaris’s CEO first appeared on Polaris.

H.R. 2601 would require the operator of the Trafficking Hotline to turn over information shared by the public to state and local law enforcement on demand, regardless of whether or not an adult trafficking victim consents to the involvement of law enforcement. Victims of human trafficking must be able to control when to involve law enforcement in their trafficking situations. 

Because human traffickers often threaten victims and their families if someone calls law enforcement — regardless of who calls — the bill is dangerous to the safety and security of victims and survivors of human trafficking. As a result, we urge members of Congress to vote NO on H.R. 2601. 

Polaris stands against H.R. 2601 for the following reasons: 

1. This mandate violates the trust of confidentiality and autonomy the Trafficking Hotline provides to potential victims. Victims and survivors who call the Trafficking Hotline count on their information remaining confidential. They place their trust in the NHTH to work with them in a way that prioritizes their safety from the moment they call. If this bill is passed into law, victims will stop calling the Hotline to access resources. We know this because they’ve told us, and we’ve listened.
    
2. The Trafficking Hotline already actively works with law enforcement when requested by victims or in a limited scope as required by existing mandates, which are disclosed to callers. The Trafficking Hotline already complies with mandated reporting laws about children who may be trafficked or otherwise harmed, and reports any credible situations where it is clear someone is unable to get help for themselves. From 2016 through August 2022, the Trafficking Hotline has referred more than 7,300 situations to law enforcement. 
    
3. No other crisis hotline is required to turn over information of this nature. To impose this requirement on the National Human Trafficking Hotline would create inconsistency in the experiences of victims compared to when they call a sexual assault, domestic violence or mental health hotline. It would mandate a different standard of care, signaling that protecting individual personal safety of human trafficking victims is not of concern to Congress. 

Catherine Chen, CEO of Polaris, said, “By requiring the sharing of information without the explicit consent of victims, the bill forces the Trafficking Hotline to violate the trust we have built over the years, and signals to victims and survivors of trafficking that the Hotline is not a safe or trustworthy space. Our first priority, as operators of the Trafficking Hotline and as Polaris, is to create and maintain the safest possible space for victims to regain control of their lives, including in how they get help.”

Our 20+ years of experience, and the chorus of survivor and allied voices speaking out against this bill, including some of the original sponsors, shows that H.R. 2601 is not the correct way forward.

Polaris stands against H.R. 2601, and we urge members of Congress to listen to survivors and vote NO.

The post Polaris Stands Against the National Human Trafficking Hotline Enhancement Act (H.R. 2601) first appeared on Polaris.

To serve this mission, the Trafficking Hotline must have the trust of victims and survivors we serve. To that end, the Trafficking Hotline does not report their situations to law enforcement without their consent. Instead, the Trafficking Hotline works with victims to determine what they need to begin to break free and rebuild their lives. This is important because traffickers take consent, choice, and freedom away from victims. To effectively support survivors is to return to them control over their own lives and choices. When and if victims and survivors choose to involve law enforcement, the Trafficking Hotline supports the process every step of the way. 

The Trafficking Hotline reports all situations involving children to appropriate authorities as directed by state and federal protocols. The Trafficking Hotline will also report situations where immediate and escalating violence can be heard or observed. 

Polaris is deeply committed to ensuring traffickers are held accountable and are stopped from being able to continue to victimize people. We actively partner with hundreds of law enforcement agencies all over the country to ensure countless traffickers are arrested and justice is served. 

We look forward to continuing to engage our law enforcement partners, including the attorneys general’s offices, as well as thousands of social service agencies, survivor leaders, and community leaders who we partner with, to ensure the Trafficking Hotline fulfills its mission to provide a safe and trusted place for victims and survivors to get connected to help.

The post Polaris’s Statement on Concerns Related to the National Human Trafficking Hotline first appeared on Polaris.

“To respond to the workers’ mobility in North America, we need a robust safety net that effectively identifies and connects victims and survivors of human trafficking, and related exploitation, to appropriate services. During the summit we focused on strategies to enhance regional cooperation to assist victims and survivors of human trafficking, share data on emerging trends, and identifying opportunities for collaboration in public policy advocacy to prevent and respond to human trafficking across the region,” says Andrea Rojas, Director of Strategic Initiative on Labor Trafficking at Polaris. Polaris operates the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

“There is a growing need for governments to act decisively to combat labor trafficking in North America. Non-profit organizations cannot do this work alone. National strategies and policies can help coordinate our collective efforts towards making resources more available to victims and survivors,” says Julia Drydyk, Executive Director, The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking. The Centre operates The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010, a confidential, multi-lingual service that is available 24/7.

“One quarter of Consejo Ciudadano’s human trafficking-related attention is related to labor exploitation and forced labor. It has also detected that migrants are victims of extortion, fraud, kidnapping, and forced labor for criminal groups. Hence, the relevance of Consejo’s coordination with local and federal authorities to share data on how traffickers operate, risk situations and places where the crime occurs; in addition to participating in the design of prevention policies, attention to victims, and monitoring judicial processes,” says Salvador Guerrero Chiprés, president of Consejo Ciudadano. Consejo Ciudadano operates the National Hotline and Chat against Human Trafficking at 800 5533 000, to prevent, provide care and combat this crime in Mexico.
  
Three organizations will meet regularly to continue learning from each other’s experiences and raise awareness among migrants and temporary foreign workers at-risk of being exploited in North America. Hotlines in the three countries will work more closely to provide more appropriate, trauma-informed referrals and person-centred assistance to victims and survivors of human trafficking traveling in North America.
 
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Flor Canseco, Consejo Ciudadano
prensa@consejociudadanomx.org

Rafael Flores, Polaris
rflores@polarisproject.org

Aziz Froutan, The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking
afroutan@ccteht.ca  

The post North America, United to Combat Human Trafficking first appeared on Polaris.

“Human trafficking is a complex and dynamic crime,” said Catherine Chen, CEO of Polaris. “Without an investigation of exactly what happened before migrants were put on a plane and unwittingly used for political gain, it would be irresponsible to accuse anyone of trafficking. 

Human trafficking is a federal crime and has a clear legal definition. Human trafficking is the use of force, fraud or coercion to exploit other people for financial or personal gain. Despite popular misconception, trafficking has nothing to do with transportation. 

In the context of the events involving migrants transported from Texas and Florida to Martha’s Vineyard and Washington, D.C. Polaris is deeply concerned about reports of fraud. 

Multiple news outlets have reported that migrants who were sent to Martha’s Vineyard were told they were going to be flown to Boston where they had jobs and housing awaiting, or to sanctuary cities because they could ‘get better help there.‘ The Washington Post reported migrants receiving unsigned and erroneous guidance telling them to report their whereabouts to the wrong agency within the Department of Homeland Security. 

These acts of calculated deception were reportedly used to trick migrants onto buses and planes.  Unfortunately, this tactic is one that we know far too well in the anti-trafficking world. Migrants are regularly tricked and defrauded as part of their trafficking experience, with traffickers and exploiters taking advantage of their recent arrival, limited English proficiency, and unfamiliarity with our government systems and labor laws. In a recently released study of 4,000 legal temporary workers in the United States between 2018 to 2020, Polaris found that in 34 percent of cases migrants reported that misrepresentation of destination/work situation was part of their trafficking experience. 

If migrants were defrauded, and if this fraud was intended as a vehicle for anyone’s material gain including that of an elected official, then there is a case for investigating it as trafficking.” 

“The views expressed in this statement are of Polaris alone and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of the National Human Trafficking Hotline or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.”

The post Polaris’s Statement on Recent Immigrant Relocation and Trafficking first appeared on Polaris.

“Baseless accusations like Hageman’s represent the very worst and most dangerous kind of political cynicism – an attempt to gain attention and support on the backs of some of our nation’s most vulnerable people. 

When politicians like Hageman mislead the public about human trafficking, they make it far more difficult for people who are actually at risk of being trafficked to understand their own vulnerabilities and make it less likely that victims will come forward and seek help. 

Weaponizing human trafficking against ideological or political opponents undermines our urgent and nonpartisan mission to end the trafficking, exploitation and abuse of the most vulnerable in our communities.”

About Polaris
Named after the North Star, an historical symbol of freedom, Polaris works to reshape the systems that make sex and labor trafficking possible and profitable in North America. For more than a decade, Polaris has assisted thousands of victims and survivors through the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline and built the largest known U.S. data set on the crime. With the guidance of survivors, and working with public and private-sector partners, we use that data to understand and improve the way trafficking is identified, how victims and survivors are assisted, and how we can prevent this abuse at the scale of the problem – 25 million people worldwide robbed of the basic right to choose how they live and work. Learn more at www.polarisproject.org. Follow Polaris on Facebook, on Twitter, or Instagram.

The post Polaris Statement on Harriet Hageman’s Human Trafficking Comment first appeared on Polaris.

“Maxwell’s sentencing can never fully heal the harm caused by her, Jeffrey Epstein, and the many other men who trafficked and sexually assaulted these girls. We hope it sends a message that those who exploit the vulnerable in our communities will be held to account, no matter how rich the exploiters may be. The sentence today is directly due to the bravery and determination of survivors who demanded justice for themselves and others who endured the same violence and trauma. We hope the rest of perpetrators in this case will also be held accountable for their actions.”

The post Polaris Statement on Sentencing of Ghislaine Maxwell first appeared on Polaris.

“I am honored to be named to the Homeland Security Advisory Council under Secretary Mayorkas’s leadership,” said Chen. “With a seat at the table, the anti-trafficking field can help guide and inform public policy choices that can dramatically improve how this country supports immigrant victims of trafficking and keeps vulnerable people safe,” she added. To read her full statement, visit here.

“These distinguished leaders have agreed to serve our country as members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council at a critically important time not only for our nation, but also for the world,” said Secretary Mayorkas. “Together, we will ensure that the Department is best positioned to meet the challenges we confront today, foresee and be ready for the challenges of tomorrow, capitalize on the power of technological innovation, and serve our country by living up to our highest ideals. Our Department is privileged to benefit from the experience, vision, and creativity of these incredibly accomplished individuals.”

As a member of the Council, Catherine Chen and other Council members will provide strategic advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Homeland Security, a member of the President’s Cabinet. DHS is the third-largest Cabinet department, responsible for a broad portfolio of domestic security matters from cybersecurity and emergency management, to aviation and border security, to countering child exploitation and the provision of the legal immigration system. Through the Council, Catherine Chen will help define DHS’s strategic vision, strengthen the Department to better meet the increasingly dynamic and rapidly evolving threat landscape, and harness technology and innovation to modernize the programs it administers.

Catherine Chen brings Polaris’s expertise to the table, acquired after nearly fifteen years of managing the National Human Trafficking Hotline and hearing directly from survivors of human trafficking, many of them workers in the United States under the temporary work visa system. For some years now, Polaris has suggested a redesign of temporary work visas in order to close the gaps that allow trafficking in these government-sponsored programs.

The Council was originally established in 2003 under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, a federal law that governs the establishment and operation of committees that provide consensus advice to a federal government agency. Secretary Mayorkas has reimagined the Council to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities that an evolving homeland security landscape presents. The Council will convene for its first meeting on March 21, 2022. For more information about the Council, visit here.  

Secretary Mayorkas has appointed the following individuals to the HSAC: 

• Jayson Ahern, Principal, The Chertoff Group
• John Allen, President, The Brookings Institution 
• Dmitri Alperovitch, Co-Founder and Chairman, Silverado Policy Accelerator
• Marc Andreessen, Co-Founder and General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz 
• Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, Chairwoman, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah 
• Mary Barra, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, General Motors Company
• Tarika Barrett, Chief Executive Officer, Girls Who Code
• Noah Bookbinder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
• Safra Catz, Chief Executive Officer, Oracle Corporation
• Catherine Chen, Chief Executive Officer, Polaris 
• Michael Chertoff, Former Secretary of DHS and Co-Founder, The Chertoff Group
• Carrie Cordero, Senior Fellow & General Counsel, Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
• Lynn Good, Chair, President & Chief Executive Officer, Duke Energy 
• Jamie Gorelick, Partner, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, LLP
• Danielle Gray, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Legal Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. 
• Jane Harman, Distinguished Fellow and President Emerita, The Woodrow Wilson Center
• Robert Isom, Incoming Chief Executive Officer, American Airlines 
• Carie Lemack, Co-Founder, Zed Factor Fellowship
• Scott Kirby, Chief Executive Officer, United Airlines Holdings, Inc.
• Michael Masters, National Director & Chief Executive Officer, Secure Community Network
• Brian Moynihan, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Bank of America 
• Janet Murguía, President and Chief Executive Officer, Unidos US
• Leon Panetta, Former Secretary of Defense and Chairman, The Panetta Institute for Public Policy
• Ted Schlein, General Partner, Kleiner Perkins (KPCB)
• Sonal Shah, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Network Operations, United Way Worldwide, and Founding President, The Asian American Foundation
• Ali Soufan, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, The Soufan Group, LLC
• Todd Stern, Nonresident Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution 
• Vincent Talucci, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer, International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
• Jonathan Thompson, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer, National Sheriffs’ Association
• Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Chobani, LLC
• Lynda R. Williams, Immediate Past President, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE)
• Patrick Yoes, National President, Fraternal Order of Police
• Wendy Young, President, Kids In Need of Defense (KIND)  

The post Polaris CEO, Catherine Chen, Appointed by DHS Secretary Mayorkas to Homeland Security Advisory Council first appeared on Polaris.

The Agricultural Labor Survey was designed to generate the Adverse Effect Wage Rates – the figure the U.S. Department of Agriculture uses to determine acceptable hourly wages for the some 200,000 essential workers who come to this country legally on H-2A temporary work visas to take jobs that businesses say they otherwise can’t fill. This is an important tool to ensure those workers are not taken advantage of. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic should not be used as an excuse to harm workers, especially those who are already vulnerable to human trafficking and labor exploitation. During this pandemic, the U.S. government has already taken measures to ease the immigration regulations for bringing migrant workers to fulfill the need for labor in the agricultural industry. It is outrageous that these regulations protect the profits of the business owners but cannot safeguard workers from human trafficking and labor abuses,” said Andrea Rojas, Director of Strategic Initiatives – Labor Trafficking at Polaris. She added, “The U.S. should not use the wages of foreign migrant workers to offset income loss of large agro-businesses during the pandemic. H-2A visa holders working in agriculture are among the most vulnerable in contracting the virus, and the government should put measures in place to protect them, not put their lives in further jeopardy and turn a blind eye to labor abuses.” 

Without the Agricultural Labor Survey, agribusinesses could dramatically lower the amount they pay workers and do so legally. Debt bondage – a form of human trafficking – is already a substantial problem in the H-2A program. The National Human Trafficking Hotline has documented numerous instances where workers were forced to work in inhumane or dangerous conditions because they needed the money to pay back illegal fees they were forced to give to recruiters in order to get the job in the first place. 

The Adverse Effect Wage Rates set the floor for how much they could be paid and gave them an avenue to seek redress if wages sunk below that floor.  Without it, farms could pay far less – legally – and workers would have no real way to complain and a far harder time getting out of the debt bondage situation. 

The post Polaris Statement on the Notice from the USDA Canceling Farm Labor Survey first appeared on Polaris.