When Juniper Networks identified human trafficking as one of the focus areas for its foundation’s work in 2011, the goal was to create a strong alignment with the company’s mission, strategy and culture. To build deeper awareness about the issue, Juniper Networks, SVCF and Not For Sale came together to develop Human Trafficking in Silicon Valley. The report’s results are sobering. Human trafficking is a $150 billion industry worldwide, with more than 20 million people exploited through sex trafficking, labor trafficking and domestic servitude. The United States’ share is about 60,000 people, with California among the top four U.S. destinations. This widespread problem is catching national attention; at press time, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 had passed the U.S. Senate and was on its way to the House. The Alameda County District Attorney has calculated that 43 percent of California’s human trafficking happens in the Bay Area. In Silicon Valley, 232 victims were served by 11 nonprofits in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties between 2011 and 2013. According to the report, the average victim in the region is a young U.S.-born woman first exploited in her teens. Half had run away from home or been forced out, and the majority had experienced trauma, abuse or neglect. “There’s an assumption that this happens everywhere else but our own backyards,” Ohara says. “So not only was it shocking that it was happening here, but that it was happening frequently and the rate is rising.” A trafficking survivor might turn to many agencies for help: health clinics, legal or immigration services, and homeless or domestic violence shelters. But the victims’ needs, especially regarding sexual exploitation, are complex. The report recommends greater coordination among jurisdictions and organizations that serve trafficking victims, as well as stronger laws to protect people who’ve been trafficked. It also calls for more research; training to help first responders, police and attorneys identify victims; and more long-term support so victims don’t get exploited again. “There’s a lot of evidence to support that if people are given continuous services that support them beyond just emergency interventions, they are so much more likely to succeed,” says Caitlin Ross, regional program manager for Not For Sale. “Their success means they won’t be revictimized or retraumatized.” When international travel technology company Sabre realized traffickers were exploiting the travel industry, the company signed the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism. The company made trafficking a focus of its corporate social responsibility work, says Jennifer Barkley, Sabre’s former manager of corporate social responsibility. freedom of movemenT geTTing ouT And STAying ouT A HoT SpoT for TrAfficking In 2012, the Southlake, Texas, company launched its Passport to Freedom program, with a goal to educate industry leaders on the breadth and impact of human trafficking and advocate for tougher anti-trafficking laws. Since then, Sabre has created an online training course for employees and other travel companies, sponsored the United Nations’ “Be a Responsible Traveler” campaign, and provided pro bono legal support to trafficked women and children. This year, Sabre also launched something new, focused on providing opportunities for survivors far beyond emergency services and shortterm help. The Survivor Scholarship Fund will give $10,000 annually in college tuition or vocational training for survivors. SVCF will administer the scholarships, to be awarded this year. Sabre chose SVCF based on its extensive expertise and partnership with Sabre’s giving vendor, YourCause, says Barkley. She hopes Sabre’s work will inspire other companies to address other aspects of the complex human trafficking problem. “As other corporations and nonprofits begin to focus on different parts of the trafficking issue,” she says, “our efforts will come together to make progress.” “There’s an assumption that this happens everywhere else but our own backyards.” Want to learn more about human trafficking in Silicon Valley and how to help? Download the full report at siliconvalleycf. org/spring-2015/ trafficking. A few years ago, Juniper Networks’ anti-human trafficking work consisted mostly of one-off projects: a computer camp in Thailand; culinary training for sex-trafficked women in Amsterdam; the launch of RBBL Tonic, which provides jobs to people in the Amazon who are at risk of being trafficked. But a few years ago, the company realized long-term impact would require a long-term commitment. That’s when Juniper Networks approached SVCF about producing the report. It also supported the launch of Not For Sale’s ReInvent program. ReInvent offers job training and employment support so that women who get out of trafficking can stay out. Last year, ReInvent participants visited Juniper Networks’ Sunnyvale campus to receive tips on resume writing, and life and business skills from company executives. ReInvent graduates are then placed in internships and, ideally, in full-time jobs. The idea, said Not For Sale’s Ross, is to help women “reinvent opportunity for themselves.” It seems to be working. Ross recalls that at ReInvent’s graduation ceremony last year, one woman shared a story about her shift in mindset. “I didn’t even know what a CEO was,” Ross recalls the 24-year-old woman proclaiming. “Now I want to be one.” si l i c o nval l ey c f.o rg spri ng 2015 crAfTing cAreerS n n 11