Human Trafficking Institute

The Problem

Human trafficking and CSA are global problems that seem overwhelming and intractable. Existing efforts to combat human trafficking and CSA primarily focus on reducing the vulnerability of potential victims or supporting survivors. While these interventions can help, they do not disrupt the incentives or ability of perpetrators to commit these crimes. Without stopping the perpetrators, we remain trapped in a tragic cycle of devastation: more perpetrators exploit more victims, who need more care. For funders in this space, it can feel like a bottomless pit of need. A radical, lasting disruption of this cycle requires preventing these crimes in the first place.

The Solution

Human Trafficking Institute combats human trafficking and CSA at the source — by targeting the perpetrators themselves. HTI dismantles the incentive structure behind human trafficking and CSA crimes by driving a tipping point where the risks of committing the crime outweigh the perceived rewards. Each perpetrator stopped — whether through enforcement or deterrence — ends the exploitation of their current victims and prevents countless others from ever being harmed.

HTI partners with governments on three key deliverables:

1. Specialized units: large-scale teams of police and prosecutors enforcing anti-trafficking and CSA laws.
2. Tools and tactics: data-tested tools and tactics enabling these teams to fairly and efficiently enforce those laws at scale.
3. Embedded experts: experienced HTI law enforcement experts embedded within the criminal justice system to work alongside these teams, building their skills, solving case-related challenges, and driving high-quality prosecutions.

When perpetrators are imprisoned or begin to opt out of their crimes, the result is clear: there are far fewer victims. This upstream approach enables sustainable, systemic change at scale. The ultimate goal of every HTI project is full government adoption. When HTI-trained enforcement units meet key performance benchmarks and manage routine turnover without ongoing HTI support, they become sustainable, government-funded engines of protection — independently delivering long-term impact without the need for continued philanthropic investment.

HTI has deployed this intervention in Africa, Central America, Texas, and Virginia. In a U.S. government analysis of the highest impact anti-trafficking strategies it has funded over the past decade, HTI’s work was at the top of the list.

Impact

• Uganda has seen a 1,466% increase in the number of traffickers and CSA perpetrators prosecuted since HTI launched its embedded expert model five years ago. Uganda is now prosecuting traffickers at nearly nine times the global average.
• Globally, the U.S. State Department evaluates every country’s efforts to combat trafficking, with poor performers facing potential economic sanctions.
• In just five years, HTI has helped catalyze four anti-trafficking upgrades across three countries, directly improving their standing in these critical evaluations.