Polaris Project was founded by Co-Executive Directors Katherine Chon and Derek Ellerman to address the vital need for survivor support, policy advocacy, and movement building to combat human trafficking. Polaris Project provides direct services and shelter to trafficking survivors while also working to pass stronger laws and build the grassroots movement to end modern-day slavery.
BUILDING THE GRASSROOTS ANTI-TRAFFICKING MOVEMENT
Polaris Project is a multicultural, grassroots anti-trafficking organization based in the United States and Japan. Founded in 2002, we have grown from just two dedicated community members from Providence, RI to a staff of nine in three offices with over 4000 members and supporters from around the world in our Grassroots Network.
At the local level, we provide direct intervention and survivor support services for trafficked persons, many of whom were first trafficked when they were 12 or 13 years old, and work with law enforcement to help ensure prosecution of the traffickers. At the national level we advocate for more comprehensive laws, provide training to service providers and law enforcement, and build the grassroots movement in communities and campuses across the United States and in Japan.
In the last year and a half, 115 Fellows from over twelve countries have volunteered to join our staff in our Washington, D.C. office to work full-time and part-time. They have come from across the country and as far away as South Korea, Japan, and Peru, taking time off their jobs or school to join the front-lines of the anti-trafficking movement and receive practical training and experience to become future leaders and activists in the fight against modern-day slavery.
The passion and dedication of our staff and volunteers allow Polaris Project to operate every weekday from 9AM until past midnight, fueling the success of our local, national, and international anti-trafficking programs.
Many community members also volunteer virtually to help conduct research and raise awareness about trafficking in their own communities. Social investors who have made financial contributions have also been critical to our success.
Polaris Project knows that it cannot end human trafficking overnight, but we are assisting victims now while working to build the movement's capacity to meet the challenge for the decades to come.
Source: The Polaris Project online