This September, Erica and I are taking on Hope for Justice’s Extreme Challenge 2026 (a 7-day trek in British Columbia, total distance of ~100km) in support of a cause that is hard to talk about, but impossible to ignore: ending human trafficking and modern slavery.

Hope for Justice works to bring freedom from human trafficking and modern slavery by identifying victims, supporting survivors and preventing exploitation.

Human trafficking is not a distant issue. It is happening around the world and here in the United States. The latest global estimates show that about 50 million people are currently living in modern slavery.

Behind every number is a person.

Trafficking often begins where someone is vulnerable: poverty, unsafe migration, homelessness, discrimination, abuse, addiction, trauma, isolation, or simply having no safe place to turn. It can begin with a false promise of work, love, shelter, education or a better life. It can involve an employer, a recruiter, a romantic partner, a family member, or someone the victim first trusted.

Hope for Justice shares the stories of survivors whose names are changed for their safety. One of those survivors is Victoria, who was trafficked and exploited for sex work for four to five years. Hope for Justice reports that she had to go to the hospital after being physically injured during a sexual assault committed by her trafficker. When she contacted Hope for Justice, she was afraid, distraught and in need of emergency housing. Hope for Justice helped arrange safe travel, temporary accommodation and a referral into long-term aftercare.

Environmental Justice Foundation in its documentary Dispatches from the Outlaw Ocean: The Last Untamed Frontier details the stories of men recruited with promises of work, then trapped in debt bondage on fishing vessels. Their papers are taken away; they live on roach and rat-infested ships, and are fed food infested by vermin; they are forced to work while sleeping as little as one hour a day and often subjected to violence. By the time they reach land months later, many are even more indebted than when they began. It is slavery hidden in plain sight, far from shore and far from help.

These stories are heartbreaking because they show what trafficking often looks like: not always chains, but fear, isolation, threats, manipulation, hunger, homelessness, immigration insecurity, addiction, debt, violence and dependence. It is not just exploitation. It is violence. It is abuse. It is a profound violation of human dignity.

We need your help. Please donate. Your donation will support Hope for Justice’s life-changing work: identifying victims, helping survivors rebuild their lives, preventing exploitation, training people to spot the signs, and advocating for stronger systems of protection. In its 2025 Annual Review, Hope for Justice reported reaching 155,137 adults and children through its anti-trafficking work; 73,327 people took its training to spot the signs and respond; and 731 child survivors were cared for at its Lighthouse aftercare shelters.

If you can’t donate, you can still help. Share this page. Talk about this issue. Learn the signs. Stay aware. If you think someone may be in immediate danger, call emergency services. In the U.S., you can also contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733.

Every step matters.

Every donation matters.

Every conversation matters.

Every act of awareness matters.

Help us end modern slavery.