That's it. I contacted Polaris Project a while back. They put me on a wait-list for volunteers. I contact them multiple times. They say they are at capactiy for volunteers. I go to their office with money from a fund-raiser. They place me on as a translator. Only time I hear from them again is about donating. I sign up for this meetup. Every event is some charity or some walk-a-thon.

My quesiton is, does anyone do anything in DC? Human-trafficking is such a horrible entity I assume there'd be organizations trying to mobilize massive amounts of volunteers to combat this problem. Throwing a party or walking a few miles in the name of combating this problem is great if you want to feel like you've done something but don't want to get your hands dirty.
Don't worry I'll try to form my own organization and it'll be comprised of do-ers not walkers and drinkers and donators.

When did you sign up? I need soething that gets me involved and doesn't just hound me for money.. I also had a bit of trouble with the Polaris project.

Want to make an organization?

Let me rephrasse this - what are you looking for in an organization?

I hope your efforts as an activist are not deterred by your frustration in the constraints inherent to some organizations. I personally do not believe nonprofits are capable of achieving substantial social change, partially because of the strings attached nature of funding sources, as well as the constant struggle to obtain financial stability. Yet whether it's through a formal organization or not, we can only build the anti-trafficking movement by educating ourselves and others,

Precisely i was simply inquiring as to what this guy was talking about.. I know there is not much one can do without proper funding and its obvious that the best we can do at this point is to learn about it as best we can.

and uniting in our efforts to combat modern slavery. The purpose of this event is to discuss & better understand one of human trafficking?s root cause: profit. I feel that addressing this profit dynamic is a crucial component to combating it because I'd imagine that if it weren't profitable, it wouldn't exist. I hope you consider attending and wish you the best in planning your own organization as well.

The more people engaged & spreading awareness about human trafficking, the more we can build the anti-trafficking movement. I also want to point out that the DC Stop Modern Slavery Walk you may be referring to was about more than raising money for nonprofits. The SMS Walk brought together more than 2,000 people on the National Mall to celebrate progress in the anti-human trafficking movement & raise awareness about trafficking. It was the largest EVER anti-trafficking event in the country.

I am trying to make it my career but I know the best course of action at this point is to study policy and the difference between the political rhetoric and practical implication.

This is obvious when the Trafficking in Person's Report - one of the most highly regarded in the world for determing the riddance of slavery - has its fallacies within the guidlines itself. "Tier 1" means little when assessing a country upon its riddance of slavery when the victim will not - And CANNOT talk about for fear of their own life.

In other words - no, I am not Deterred; )

Steve- I hope you can attend the event because I think you have a lot to contribute and I would love to talk more. It's great what you are studying. For the other unnamed person as well, I'd love to collaborate on planning future events (but for the moment I have my hands tied with this and another event which will be posted soon to meet-up).

..you should attend that event too :)

Danielle - I am going to attend as many events as I possibly can. Its refreshing to get away from the bureaucracy of the university and meet those who actually dedicate themselves to this rather than simply list it on a resume. Thank you for the opportunity!

Hi everyone! These are good comments and I hope you will indulge me sharing a few thoughts:
- There are good organizations doing direct services with survivors if that is what you mean by "getting your hands dirty". These groups require nights, and sometimes weeks of intensive training. I know because I've been through them. Unfortunately, few have male volunteers working directly with victims because--let's face it--the majority of perpetrators are men. At the same time, there is HUGE need for

an NGO to address the demand side and talk to/educate potential buyers. This would be an incredible contribution if you two gentlemen are up for it! And if you do this, let us know! There are so many aspects to this problem that it takes all of us working together.
-The TIP report assesses governments based on their progress and improvement through the year. It's not really fair to lambast a government for actions that are out of their control due to third-parties if the government is not

complicit. It would be rough to come down on a government that genuinely wants to get rid of the problem but simply lacks the capacity to do so. Getting victims to testify is a huge challenge but, again since the TIP report demands improvement each year to maintain rankings, it is the responsibility of the government to find new ways to make victims feel safe and comfortable enough to do this. Despite its flaws, the TIP report is still great for raising awareness of the issue on a regular basis.

Okay I just want to cleart his up - I am NOT in allegiance with the previous commentator.

Also, I am wondering what you mean by educating potential buyers? And as far the TIP report goes, it is not a question of whether it is fair to lambast a third party government because its states explicitly on the State Department website the stipulations and obstacles entangled within the guidelines. I'm not lambasting anything - I'm stating a fact for which they have previously addressed themselves - http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2011/164224.htm

ts really odd because if you read down, it starts to actually seem to demean its own program a bit but I couldn't think of anything else but to prais their efforts for they are working as best they can to dismantle the corruption within cusstoms. I looking forward to this event!

Great discussion, All. I'm pulling people together from my church, and anywhere else, to work with Shared Hope International to STOP THE DEMAND! You can go to their website , www.sharedhope.org, and see their focus. They did a remarkable research on the 50 states + DC, and have all of that info available to read, INCLUDING their suggestions to change a state's trafficking laws, or make trafficking laws stronger.

In my humble opinion, we don't need to start another org. We need to work with the good ones, support them any way we can, and STOP THE DEMAND. Like any marketplace, if the demand decreases, the product will eventually disappear. Now, I think we all know that trafficking may continue to some extent, but we can help dramatically decrease the demand, and help to rescue the women, men and children. It will take time. But we must begin. Anyone want to join me to STOP THE DEMAND in DC ??

So glad to have passionate and enthusiastic people on the guest list! I'm excited to continue this discussion at the event itself. Cindy, I agree that the first step is to ensure that good organizations are coordinating their efforts efficiently. The purpose of this event is to help in that process by facilitating a community discussion. In light of this, I would encourage all of you to come prepared to educate us on how the organizations you are involved with are addressing this issue!