action/example :: spotlight :: The Polaris Project

by Yasmin Tabi

In just two short years, The Polaris Project has become nationally recognized as an organization of effort, raising awareness about the plight of the victims of human trafficking. Co-founders Katherine Chon and Derek Ellerman met at Brown University and merged efforts while completing other humanitarian work; Katharine’s thesis on Asian Adolescent Suicide and Derek’s leadership at the Center for Police and Community. 1-42 spoke with Katherine about the mission of Polaris Project…

1-42 :: What does Polaris Project stand for? How did you come up with the name?

Katherine Chon: Polaris Project is named after the North Star that guided slaves along the Underground Railroad during the old slavery period in the U.S. Polaris Project represents the modern-day Underground Railroad - a network of ordinary community members and survivors actively involved in bringing victims of human trafficking to freedom by volunteering their time and providing financial resources.

1-42 :: How was Polaris Project formed?

Katherine Chon :: Polaris Project was officially incorporated in Rhode Island on February 14, 2002. Our first interns included a group of seven students who decided to study human trafficking through independent studies. In the Spring of 2002, Polaris Project also entered its business plan into an entrepreneurship competition, won second place and received seed support to move its office to Washington, DC.

1-42 :: What is the mission of Polaris Project?

Katherine Chon :: The mission of Polaris Project is to combat human trafficking and strengthen the anti-trafficking movement through direct intervention, grassroots advocacy, and research for action.

1-42 :: How many Polaris Project members are there, both domestic and international? Do you actively try to recruit people and how do you go about doing this?

Katherine Chon :: Polaris Project has over 1,000 Grassroots Network members in the U.S. and over 100 GN members internationally. We do not yet have any active recruitment campaigns, but we are planning on conducting one in the near future.

1-42 :: Do you partner up with other non-profits with similar missions, like GABNET for example?

Katherine Chon :: Part of our mission is to strengthen the anti-trafficking movement, so collaborative work is really important for us. We work with other anti-trafficking organizations in many of our projects. I have spoken with members of GABNET, but we have not had the opportunity to work on any official projects yet.

The Polaris Project also addresses sex trafficking through “proactive victim identification, grassroots advocacy, applied research and efforts to help build the anti-trafficking movement.”

Katharine Chon :: According to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, sex trafficking is any commercial sex activity where there is the presence of force, fraud, coercion - or if the person is under the age of 18. Most victims of sex trafficking are women and children (girls and boys). Victims of trafficking are physically, psychologically, and emotionally affected by the consequences of their situation. They are physically, verbally, and sexually abused by traffickers, pimps, other controllers, and buyers. Many have symptoms of PTSD and other related anxiety disorders.

The US government has responded to sex trafficking by creating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, which creates supportive services to victims of trafficking, and increasing penalties for perpetrators. An inter-governmental working group has also been created to combat this issue in the U.S. and internationally. The Department of State publishes an annual report assessing the scope and severity of human trafficking in other countries.

Sponsors like The Peace Development Fund, the Department of Justice, Massachusetts Home Women’s Missionary Union and other private foundations and contributors ease the financial strain but raising awareness is a necessary aspect of getting the point across. The TPP staff has actively used online, print, television and public speaking engagements to facilitate promotional efforts of the organization.

1-42 :: How have world events affected the PP movement, for example, 9/11, the US in the Middle East?

Katherine Chon :: That's difficult to assess because Polaris Project is only a little over two-years old. We haven't been around long enough to notice difference in impact of such world events.

1-42 :: How does PP and its members deal with, if ever, the negative responses to the mission behind the organization?

Katherine Chon :: People are generally supportive of our mission to combat human trafficking. When they hear about the issue, most people we speak with see the need for our programs. However, the anti-trafficking movement is very political at this stage and people have different opinions about how to combat human trafficking. When we come across conflict or challenges, we will take the time to resolve conflicts as long as it is directly involved in our mission. Otherwise, we are careful not too put too many resources or time into being distracted from our mission by the politics of the movement. We stay very mission and victim centered in our work.

1-42 :: What are the goals for PP?

Katherine Chon :: As the co-founders and Co-Executive Directors of Polaris Project, Derek and I seek to build Polaris Project’s internal capacity to continue to provide innovative and effective responses to combat human trafficking. Our goals for Polaris Project include developing progressive community-based models to create the Modern-Day Underground Railroad. Models of community-NGO-Government partnerships are being created in Washington, DC and we will be replicating it in the New York/New Jersey area and Tokyo, Japan in the coming year. Polaris Project’s programs are aimed at creating long-term systemic change by empowering community members - from survivors and activists to financial supporters and government agencies - to take responsibility to combat human trafficking in their own neighborhoods. The fight against human trafficking is one of the major fights of the 21st Century and we seek to work with the national and international community to strengthen the anti-trafficking movement.

1-42 :: How can the public get involved?

Katherine Chon :: The public can get involved in several ways. Community members can assist with research, awareness raising , fundraising, advocacy, and capacity-building activities to help combat human trafficking. As a community-based organization, Polaris Project provides opportunities and works with community leaders to become engaged within the anti-trafficking movement. Community members can join our Grassroots Network by visiting www.PolarisProject.org. Our Grassroots Network already have over 1,000 members who intern, volunteer, financially support, and stay informed of Polaris Project’s work within the anti-trafficking movement.

Visit www.PolarisProject.org for current and upcoming events (and a list of archives).

2004 1-42 Online