ATEST Expands as Two Organizations Join the Alliance
WASHINGTON – The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) is pleased to announce that Covenant House and the Human Trafficking Legal Center have recently joined the alliance. These innovative organizations bring invaluable expertise in youth programming and survivor support to ATEST.
Covenant House builds a bridge to hope for young people facing homelessness and survivors of human trafficking through unconditional love, absolute respect, and relentless support. The doors of Covenant House are open 24/7 in 33 cities across six countries – U.S., Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua – with a wide variety of programs designed to empower young people to rise and overcome adversity, today and in the future.
“We are proud to join ATEST and add our voice to the collective effort. We believe our movement is strongest when we coordinate our advocacy efforts on behalf of all the survivors we serve,” said Lori Maloney, Covenant House Senior Vice President for Program Operations and Advocacy.
The Human Trafficking Legal Center is a bridge to justice for trafficking survivors. It connects trafficking survivors with pro bono representation so they can seek justice and thrive. The center demands accountability from traffickers, from governments, and from corporations.
“We are thrilled to join this coalition of organizations with their finger on the pulse of policy advocacy to combat human trafficking in the United States and globally. We look forward to working closely with these leaders and learning from their long experience advocating for improvements in the government’s response to forced labor,” said Human Trafficking Legal Center Founder and President Martina Vandenberg.
“The addition of Covenant House and the Human Trafficking Legal Center to ATEST both expands and deepens the skillset of the alliance,” said ATEST Director Terry FitzPatrick. “The U.S. needs to expand services and legal representation for trafficking survivors, and these two organizations will significantly advance our advocacy efforts to achieve that.”
ATEST is a U.S.-based coalition that advocates for solutions to prevent and end all forms of human trafficking and modern slavery around the world. We advocate for lasting solutions to prevent forced labor and sex trafficking, hold perpetrators accountable, ensure justice for victims, and empower survivors with tools for recovery. Our collective experience implementing programs at home and abroad provides our coalition an unparalleled breadth and depth of expertise.
ATEST member organizations include: Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST), Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), Covenant House, Free the Slaves, HEAL Trafficking, Human Trafficking Institute, Human Trafficking Legal Center, Humanity United Action (HUA), McCain Institute for International Leadership, National Network for Youth (NN4Y), Polaris, Safe Horizon, Solidarity Center, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, United Way Worldwide, Verité, and Vital Voices Global Partnership.
Contact: ATEST Director Terry FitzPatrick
Email: [email protected] | Cell: 571-282-9913