Human Trafficking is a problem. Together, we can prevent it.
Human trafficking is the business of stealing freedom for profit. In some cases, traffickers trick, defraud or physically force victims into selling sex. In others, victims are lied to, assaulted, threatened or manipulated into working under inhumane, illegal or otherwise unacceptable conditions. It is a multi-billion dollar criminal industry that denies freedom to 28 million people around the world.*
Kane County stretches 524 miles along the Fox River and has the 2nd largest School District in Illinois with 46.4% low-income students. It intersects with three major freeways, 30 minutes from O-Hare Airport, and the last stop on the Chicago train line making it an accessible location and hub of human trafficking. Poverty, trauma, racism, sexism, and systemic oppression are some of the root causes of trafficking.
Work is needed to create comprehensive, ongoing anti-trafficking collaborative work in Kane County.
Communities that have robust anti-trafficking action have strong prevention and education work. We envision creating a collaboration that works to make sure all first responders receive awareness training, all schools implement prevention programs, public service announcements exist to increase community-wide awareness, and internet crime prevention programs make our community safe from victimization.
Bringing people together.
In 2023, One Collective, State’s Attorney, Jamie Mosser, and many other area anti-trafficking partners came together to launch the first-ever Kane County Anti-Trafficking Summit. Dozens of people came together to learn more about trafficking in Kane County.
The organizers intend to orchestrate a second county-wide anti-trafficking summit on Saturday, May 11th, 2024, 8 am – 2 pm.
The objective of the Summit is to increase public and community engagement, awareness, and education, to build a network to combat human trafficking. If you would like more information, or if you’re ready to RSVP, click the link below
Other ways to fight—
It is critical to work on a significant issue like this from multiple sides, if you are…
Willing to do research on a difficult and sensitive topic — including online, phone, and in-person investigation
Interested in helping with prevention work — awareness education for first responders, prevention education for children, and advocacy and policy work
Compassionate about caring for survivors of human trafficking
*all statistics are based on Polaris Project research. Since 2007, Polaris has operated the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline, connecting victims and survivors to support and services, and helping communities hold traffickers accountable. Through that work, Polaris has built the largest known dataset on human trafficking in North America. For more information about human trafficking in the United States and beyond, visit pkolarisproject.org