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Trafficking Free Zone

DEMOLISHING THE DEMAND TO PURCHASE SEX-TRAFFICKED VICTIMS

What Is It?

USIAHT’s flagship program, the Trafficking Free Zone, is a community-based initiative to reduce the number of sex buyers, whose continuous financial investments create an illicit market for traffickers to exploit young victims.

This Is Your Community.

There are those who think your community is safe to sell human beings for sex. But Why?

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OVER 15% OF ALL MEN IN AMERICA PURCHASE SEX

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Human trafficking is a $150 billion industry, creating an unfortunate enterprise

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25% OF SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIMS ARE minors and are exploited due to their vulnerability

This is your business or organization.

You can protect your community by becoming a PUBLICLY CERTIFIED Trafficking Free Zone

What Happens When You Become A

trafficking free zone

Fortify your community to discourage traffickers from selling humans for sex

GAIN NATIONAL RECOGNITION THAT YOUR BUSINESS, CITY, OR REGION IS COMMITTED TO THE CAUSE

CREATE PUBLIC AWARENESS TO HELP CHANGE THE SOCIAL STIGMA ABOUT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

easily engage in a process and partnership that will bring real transformation

Make Your Business or Organization a trafficking free zone

Begin the process to become a Trafficking Free Zone (TFZ) and be added to our growing list, nationwide, of TFZ’s who have publicly made a stand to protect their communities and end sex trafficking.

This is your City, county, AND PUBLIC SECTOR ENTITIES (LAW ENFORCEMENT, SCHOOLS, ETC.)

By encouraging your local municipalities to become Trafficking Free Zones, we can work to change policies & systems that protect victims, disrupt traffickers, and prosecute buyers.

why become a trafficking free zone?

Benefits

national recognition in your efforts to make the United States a Trafficking Free Zone

make your WORKPLACE a CERTIFIED ‘’safe zone’’ FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES & patrons

ADD YOUR ORGANIZATION & LOGO TO OUR ONLINE DIRECTORY

receive a certified, digital badge to add to your website as well as a decal for your physical location

the chance to publicly showcase that your brand / organization is fully engaged to end human trafficking

what are next steps?

Step ONE: REGISTER & COMMIT

Sign a public proclamation. A proclamation sends a clear message to your sphere of influence that you are educated about human trafficking in your community, you are enraged that our children are being exploited, and you are engaged in the effort to stop the trafficking of our children.

Step TWO: EMPOWER

Have your team go through our online training to become a Trafficking Free Zone. Your employees will also be given the chance to go further with our Abolitionist Project should they decide to take a more active, personal role. Lastly, publicly display our PSA materials (posters, flyers, etc.) so that your internal team can be reminded of what to look out for and stay engaged.

Step THREE: GO PUBLIC

Add your business / organization logo and website to our online directory of active Trafficking Free Zones. Place our TFZ window decal(s) in a visible location for your customers and/or staff to see on a consistent basis. In addition, add the TFZ badge to your website.

FINAL STEP: STAY ENGAGED

Continue to sign the pledge each year to renew your TFZ status on our online directory and to receive the updated website badge for that year.

FAQ

While law enforcement plays a key role in the fight against human trafficking, the ratio of arrests that officers can perform for traffickers, sex workers, and/or buyers can, at its maximum, scratch the surface to eradicate the problem. Furthermore, we believe that there needs to be a shift away from prosecuting victims of the sex trade and instead focus on buyers.  For decades the traditional approach to curbing prostitution has focused on arresting the sex trade’s victims—the women and children coerced into prostitution by pimps, traffickers, or circumstance.  However, by some counts, more than 90% of those who are arrested for prostitution in the United States are those who sell sex; fewer than 10% are the buyers. CEASE Network

Studies have shown that prostitution is hardly a choice that women (or men) desire to make.  Here are some statistics regarding sex workers in the United States according to ProstitutionReach.org:

  • 70% to 95% physically assaulted

  • 60% to 75% were raped in prostitution

  • PTSD Rate higher than combat veterans

  • More than 90% want to leave prostitution, but lack viable options

“Sex trafficking is a supply and demand issue. Financially participating in commercial sex creates the demand. There are never enough willing participants, creating a market for trafficking.” – Washington Trafficking Prevention

This demand unfortunately is not bound to any specific demographic, race, social status, or geographic area.  The internet also contributes to the demand for sex purchases.  In King County, Washington, here are some disturbing results of a study:

  • Websites where commercial sex is available: 100+ websites
  • 2014 ASU study: 6,800 buyers soliciting sex on one site in 24 hours
  • One local review site had 15,000 – 20,000 members
  • Detectives will get 200 – 250 responses to prostitution ads in 2 hours
  • Estimated 300 – 500 children being trafficked for sex
  • 204 arrests in 8 days at a single fake massage parlor
  • Buyers are disproportionately white

Ending human trafficking–specifically sex trafficking–will take a holistic approach between multiple sectors of society, including criminal justice, government and social services, healthcare, schools, businesses, organizations, and local communities.  

A Trafficking Free Zone is a geographical area, a business, a community, or a defined space that has publicly declared itself to keep Traffickers away through policy changes, public awareness, employee & volunteer training, and continued engagement. By reducing consumer demand and making it harder for sex to be solicited in these “zones,” traffickers will no longer profit and inevitably cease to sell humans for sex.

Each community is different and requires strategic contextualization when it comes to preventing demand, responding to the crime, and protecting / helping victims.  We believe that by creating Trafficking Free Zones where the community is 1) Educated, 2) Enraged, and 3) Engaged that there will be unified efforts to end human trafficking and ultimately will reduce the supply and demand of purchased sex.

Some of this success has been measured in places such as Seattle/King County, Washington:

  • 170 men charged with trying to buy sex from kids
  • The Review Board dismantled (plus two other websites)
  • 18 prolific high-frequency buyers prosecuted
  • Over 170 men in the Stopping Sexual Exploitation class
  • Engaged 25 employers covering 200,000+ employees
  • Reached over 1000 high school students
  • 1,000,000+ impressions of Buyer Beware ads
  • 29% reduction in Google searches for “Backpage Escorts”

If you are an individual who is passionate about ending human trafficking as a whole and/or in your community, you can sign up to become an Abolitionist by clicking HERE.

GIVING TUESDAY IS NOVEMBER 29TH

At USIAHT, we are combating the demand for sex trafficking in the United States—and we need your help.  Your support will help us intervene, provide care for victims, and protect children from exploitation and harm.

Help us reach our goal