ATEST Welcomes New Member Organizations
The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) is proud to announce that two remarkable organizations have joined the coalition. The new members expand the reach and expertise of ATEST, strengthening the coalition’s collective influence.
The new member organizations:
Human Trafficking Institute
The Human Trafficking Institute is combating slavery at its source by empowering justice systems to stop traffickers. Working inside criminal justice systems, the Institute provides the embedded experts, world-class training, investigative resources, and evidence-based research necessary to free victims.
“ATEST represents a diverse array of experienced and thoughtful leaders within the anti-trafficking movement,” said Human Trafficking Institute Founding Director John Cotton Richmond. “The Human Trafficking Institute is looking forward to participating in the ATEST collation as it advances efforts to combat modern slavery.”
United Way Worldwide
The United Way Center on Human Trafficking & Slavery believes that it is possible to end human trafficking and modern-day slavery in our generation and is mobilizing civil society, governments and businesses to that end. Founded in 2015, the center is focused on mobilizing a collaborative effort across sectors, building public and political will needed to spur greater action and expanding comprehensive solutions to the communities around the world.
“We are so excited to be joining the ATEST coalition to work with some of the country’s most influential anti-trafficking experts to advocate for expanded funding for anti-trafficking programs and just laws that disrupt traffickers and support survivors,” said United Way Center on Human Trafficking & Slavery Executive Director Mara Vanderslice Kelly. “We look forward to engaging the United Way network of over 1,200 local United Ways in every state in America toward these goals to end human trafficking and modern-day slavery.”
The new members join nine others to form the ATEST coalition. Existing members are: Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST), Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), Free the Slaves, National Network for Youth (NN4Y), Polaris, Safe Horizon, Solidarity Center, Verité, and Vital Voices Global Partnership.
“Our two new members bring extensive knowledge about strengthening the rule of law and mobilizing the American public to keep the issue of human trafficking on the public agenda,” said ATEST Steering Committee Co-chair Terry FitzPatrick. “ATEST member organizations are specialists in a wide range of anti-trafficking strategies. By teaming together as a unified coalition, we voice a comprehensive agenda for change.”
The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (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 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.
Legal nowhere but present across the globe, modern slavery damages our communities, taints the products and services we consume and the profits we earn, and is one of the most pressing human rights challenges of our time. The fact that the enslavement and trade of human beings exists in our modern world as a disturbingly large, highly profitable illicit industry is unacceptable. ATEST works as a collective in partnership with civil society, governments, and businesses to create fundamental change of the accepted norms that enable slavery and trafficking to persist around the world — from strengthening laws and business standards to building public will.