Expand your Heartprint
Bucklebury cares about you. We strive to create a better quality of life by creating a better you. At Bucklebury, not only do we value your health, but we also value life. Human life. That’s why a portion of your proceeds is always donated to fight and eradicate human trafficking worldwide. One organization we donate to is Polaris, a global leader in the fight to eradicate modern slavery. Named after the North Star that guided slaves to freedom in the U.S., Polaris systemically disrupts the human trafficking networks that rob human beings of their lives and their freedom.
2017 Human Trafficking Heat Map
Human Trafficking Facts & Figures at a Glance:
- The International Labour Organization estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally.
– 81% of them are trapped in forced labor.
– 25% of them are children.
– 75% are women and girls. - The International Labor Organization estimates that forced labor and human trafficking is a $150 billion industry worldwide.
- The U.S. Department of Labor has identified 139 goods from 75 countries made by forced and child labor.
- In 2016, an estimated 1 out of 6 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were likely child sex trafficking victims.
– Of those, 86% were in the care of social services or foster care when they ran. - There is no official estimate of the total number of human trafficking victims in the U.S. Polaris estimates that the total number of victims nationally reaches into the hundreds of thousands when estimates of both adults and minors and sex trafficking and labor trafficking are aggregated.
Statistics from the National Human Trafficking Hotline and Polaris BeFree Textline
- More than 40,000 total cases of human trafficking have been reported to the Hotline in the last 10 years.
- The Hotline annually receives multiple reports of human trafficking cases in each of the 50 states and D.C. Read more Hotline statistics here.
- The number of human trafficking cases that Polaris learns about in the U.S. increases every year. Review Polaris’s 2017 statistics fact sheet here.
- 20% of texting conversations on the Polaris BeFree Textline were from survivors of human trafficking compared to 13% of phone calls on the Hotline. Read Polaris BeFree Textline statistics here.
- The Hotline receives an average of 90 calls per day.
Polaris is devoted to ending all forms of human trafficking, both sex trafficking and labor trafficking.
Here are some warning signs to look out for:
Common Work and Living Conditions:
- Is not free to leave or come and go as he/she wishes
- Is unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips
- Works excessively long and/or unusual hours
- Is not allowed breaks or suffers under unusual restrictions at work
- Owes a large debt and is unable to pay it off
- Was recruited through false promises concerning the nature and conditions of his/her work
- High security measures exist in the work and/or living locations (e.g. opaque windows, boarded up windows, bars on windows, barbed wire, security cameras, etc.)
Poor Mental Health or Abnormal Behavior:
- Is fearful, anxious, depressed, submissive, tense, or nervous/paranoid
- Exhibits unusually fearful or anxious behavior after bringing up law enforcement
- Avoids eye contact
Poor Physical Health:
- Lacks medical care and/or is denied medical services by employer
- Appears malnourished or shows signs of repeated exposure to harmful chemicals
- Shows signs of physical and/or sexual abuse, physical restraint, confinement, or torture
Lack of Control:
- Has few or no personal possessions
- Is not in control of his/her own money, no financial records, or bank account
- Is not in control of his/her own identification documents (ID or passport)
- Is not allowed or able to speak for themselves (a third party may insist on being present and/or translating)
Other:
- Claims of just visiting and inability to clarify where he/she is staying/address
- Lack of knowledge of whereabouts and/or of what city he/she is in
- Loss of sense of time
- Has numerous inconsistencies in his/her story
Note: According to federal law, any minor under the age of 18 engaging in commercial sex is a victim of sex trafficking, regardless of the presence of force, fraud, or coercion.
If you believe you are a victim of human trafficking or may have information about a potential trafficking situation, please contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline. If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911.
Here’s what you can do to help fight human trafficking:
- Educate yourself.
- Make a donation to Polaris or other anti-human traficking organizations.
- Avoid products and companies that knowingly facilitate human trafficking.
- Hold an event in your town to raise community awareness.
- Support businesses whose mission is to help fight human trafficking.
If you are a victim of human trafficking, or suspect human trafficking, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888) or the BeFree Textline by texting “BeFree” (233733)