Ending Human Trafficking Starts With All of Us

Allies Against Trafficking leads a community-wide effort to prevent exploitation, strengthen awareness, and equip every person to be an Ally.

News & Events

Explore recent updates, events, and stories from our work to prevent human trafficking and strengthen community response.

Understand the Issue

Human trafficking is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to make someone work or engage in forced commercial sex or labor against their will.

Unlike what is portrayed in the movies, victims of human trafficking are manipulated, deceived, or pressured over time—frequently by someone they know or trust—making it difficult to recognize or escape.

Human trafficking happens in every type of community, including yours. Understanding what it is and how it happens is the first step in recognizing the signs and taking action.

Three key areas - One mission - Bringing hope

Prevent

Awareness leads to prevention.

We equip the public and professionals to recognize signs of trafficking early and reduce vulnerability in our communities.

Collaborate

Stronger partnerships create stronger protection.

We work with local organizations and professionals to expand awareness and strengthen response systems.

Connect

Policy and action create lasting change.

We connect professionals, service providers, law enforcement, and community leaders to strengthen collaboration, improve response, and support survivors more effectively.

Impact in Action

How awareness, collaboration, and advocacy are making a difference.

From Awareness to Response

“Because of the training, I was able to recognize the indicators of trafficking in a client I was working with. That understanding allowed me to respond in a way that helped her move toward safety and leave her trafficker.” --Youth Counselor, Bloomington, IL (Jan. 2026)

Community Highlight: The Baby Fold

In February, 38 professionals from The Baby Fold—including therapists, caseworkers, and educators—participated in a virtual training focused on identifying and responding to child sex trafficking. Their commitment strengthens our collective ability to recognize risk and respond with care and coordination.

Advocacy Driving Change

Following training on illicit massage parlors, the municipalities of Lexington and Cooksville took action to strengthen local policies. These updates make it more difficult for illicit businesses to operate under the guise of legitimate massage services—demonstrating how informed leadership can help protect communities.

Ending human trafficking requires all of us!

Being an Ally Against Trafficking means taking action to prevent and combat human trafficking. You can personally contribute in several ways:

Visit our LEARN section to understand the basics of human trafficking, explore available training programs, and access support resources. Gaining knowledge helps you protect yourself and recognize or report potential trafficking situations.
Click the button below for information on how to volunteer or provide financial support to Allies Against Trafficking.