With $14.5 Million Grant, Google Advances Fight Against Human Trafficking

Google Giving, a section of Google responsible for its social contribution has announced a $3 million Global Impact Award to three organizations, Polaris Project, Liberty Asia, and La Strada International to fight Human Trafficking — in the US and around the world. The donation aimed at connecting several anti-human trafficking helplines, sums Google’s contributions to fighting Human Trafficking to $14.5 million. The organization aims to boost global data sharing collaboration, to identify illicit patterns anywhere in the world, with more effective support to victims. According to Google, “These organizations exist to provide vital help to victims in need across the United States, the Mekong Delta region and Europe. Now, working across borders, this new Global Human Trafficking Hotline Network will collect data from local hotline efforts, share promising practices and create anti-trafficking strategies that build on common patterns and focus on eradication, prevention and victim protection.” “To enhance the participating organizations’ ability to better share, analyze and act upon their data in real time, Palantir Technologies will expand on its existing relationship with Polaris Project by donating its data integration and analytics platform for this project. In addition, Salesforce.com supports Polaris Project’s hotline center and is helping scale their call tracking infrastructure internationally.” “Together, these partners will not only be able to help more trafficking survivors, but will also move the global conversation forward by dramatically increasing the amount of useful data being shared. Appropriate data can tell the anti-trafficking community which campaigns are most effective at reducing slavery, what sectors are undergoing global spikes in slavery, or if the reduction of slavery in one country coincides with an increase right across the border.” “In the U.S., Polaris Project has collected data from over 72,000 hotline calls, helping local and national anti-trafficking communities better understand the dynamics of the crime. No such actionable hotline database has existed globally — but it doesn’t need to be that way. Clear international strategies, increased cooperation, and appropriate data sharing amongst anti-trafficking organizations will help victims, prevention efforts, and sound policymaking. Slavery can be stopped. Let’s get to it”