Women of AT&T Support BEST through their "End Human Trafficking" Donation Drive

The Women of AT&T Washington Chapter have chosen to partner with Businesses Ending Slavery & Trafficking (BEST) as their charity of choice this year. From June 7 – July 14th they will be collecting donations from their members to support survivors of human trafficking and BEST. BEST’s mission is to align and equip leaders to use the power of business to prevent human trafficking.

Human traffickers profit from the commercial exploitation of children, women, and men. There are two types of trafficking in the United States: Sex trafficking is (1) the prostituting of a child or youth (under 18) or (2) the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel an adult into commercial sex work. Labor trafficking is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person into work. According to the Polaris project, since 2007, there have been 22,191 reported sex trafficking cases in the United States. 300-500 children are prostituted in King County alone each year.

In order to escape from a trafficker, it is often necessary for a person to leave behind many of their possessions. When they connect with direct service provider agencies throughout Washington State, they may, very literally, have nothing but the clothes on their back. This is why the Women of AT&T are collecting supplies like bath towels, deodorant, flip flops, etc. to be given to BEST's partners who provide direct services to the brave individuals who have survived human trafficking.

The cash donations that the Women of AT&T collect will support BEST’s continued efforts to provide training and resources for business and community leaders to increase the identification of trafficking victims, and to take action to deter traffickers and buyers. BEST is passionately dedicated to preventing human trafficking by changing the attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors that fuel the exploitation of vulnerable children, women, and men in our communities.
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Thank you Women of AT&T for choosing to support us this year—we’re so thankful!