Say hello to collaboration & comprehensive solutions.
The Colorado Project to Comprehensively Combat Human Trafficking (Colorado Project) is a collaborative initiative that aims to develop sustainable efforts to end human trafficking with the essential input of those working on the ground. At a state level, the Colorado Project will develop a tool by which communities can assess their strengths and gaps in combating human trafficking.
Human trafficking represents a severe form of labor and/or sexual exploitation of another human being. At its most basic level, human trafficking is theft and violence. Traffickers rob victims of their human rights and subject them to physical, mental, emotional, and/or psychological abuse. Human trafficking creates a cycle of violence that encircles victims, their families, traffickers, and the community in general. However, efforts to combat human trafficking as a distinct crime are relatively new.
How can I get involved?
We're glad you asked. Our research seeks to honor your expertise, and we would love for you to help inform our efforts, support our team, or fund current and long-term needs. You can find more information about the important role you play in this project by clicking here.
The Four “Ps”
Governments and international organizations have declared that an effective response to human trafficking must include four key elements (US State Department & UNODC):
1. Prevention—decrease the number of people trafficked.
2. Protection—increase protection, support to victims and survivors.
3. Prosecution—investigate and prosecute traffickers, strengthen laws and legal responses.
4. Partnerships—to bring together diverse experiences, amplify messages, and leverage resources
of law enforcement, service providers, community members, and survivors.
However, very few anti-trafficking efforts are collectively organized according to these four combined elements. In fact, as the anti-trafficking movement reflects upon 10 years since the passage of the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act, we see a landscape of scattered efforts, frustrated communities that must cobble resources to combat a vast and complex problem, victims falling through the cracks, and traffickers escaping punishment. Currently, there is no comprehensive process to gauge the number of anti-trafficking efforts underway in the U.S., let alone how effective or successful those efforts are in preventing people from being trafficked.
We need a clearer picture of what is working. Using the 4P framework as a starting point, the overarching goals of our project aim to address this sizeable gap. Through the Colorado Project, we will assess the ongoing anti-trafficking efforts in the state of Colorado in order to understand if and how Colorado addresses prevention, prosecution, protection, and partnerships (4Ps). The results will then inform future anti-trafficking efforts in Colorado and, more significantly, create a replicable process for other states to conduct assessments of their own communities.
For more information, please continue browsing this site, or you can download a printable Fact Sheet about the project by clicking here.