Human trafficking remains a hidden crime and since the COVID-19 pandemic, it was driven even deeper underground. According to the 2020 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) Global Report on Trafficking of Persons, in 2018 there was a 30% increase in global child trafficking victims. Human trafficking is a humanitarian crisis that needs to be addressed because it goes against basic human rights and is modern slavery. Some organizations have responded to the crisis in the best way they could, and these efforts should be highlighted to increase support and action.
In particular, the anti-child trafficking organization, Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R), is well known for its rescue operation missions in extracting children who have fallen victim to the trafficking industry. The O.U.R. website states its promise to save children from trafficking and bring justice to the perpetrators. They have engaged in operations such as freeing 34 trafficked workers in the Mediterranean. Founder, Tim Ballard, expressed in a podcast interview with Jordan Harbinger, that trafficking requires immediate attention as it is a form of modern slavery that needs to be stopped.
