The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 21 million victims of forced labor and human trafficking around the world. Human trafficking and forced labor generate $150 billion dollars annually.

Today, Hamlin 6th graders listened to a panel discussion with the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. The information they gained served to further their understanding of a topic that they are studying in social studies classes.

The San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking has five central goals:

Public Awareness: Increase the general public’s awareness about human trafficking.

Outreach to Survivors: Through collaboration, broaden the scope of current outreach efforts to inform survivors of trafficking of the resources and services available to them.

Advocate for Policy Change: Create comprehensive, victim-centered policies in San Francisco, California, and the United States.

Data Collection: Build the base of information about the true scope and impact of trafficking.

Strengthen the Collaborative: Strengthen and develop the partnership between San Francisco’s service providers, law enforcement agencies, policy advocates, and community activists seeking to end human trafficking.

UNICEF works to combat human trafficking both in the United States and globally.

To protect children from exploitation, risk factors such as poverty and discrimination need to be addressed. (UNICEF Website)

To learn more about these important organizations and their work please visit:

http://www.sfcaht.org/index.html

https://www.unicefusa.org/mission/protect/trafficking/end

Special thanks to Laurel Botsford (San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking) and Chandni Jain (U.S. Fund for UNICEF) for bringing their care and expertise to our students.