In the fight against human trafficking, a new app offers a straightforward yet effective way for individuals to make a difference. When you check into your hotel room during your travels, simply take a few photos and upload them to an app designed to aid investigators in their efforts to locate traffickers.
Traffickers often exploit children and women for sexual purposes, using images taken in hotel rooms to advertise their victims online. Although law enforcement has established a national database to combat this issue, identifying specific hotels can be a significant challenge.
This is where the TraffickCam app steps in. By allowing users to upload hotel room images, the app cross-references them with the national database. “These images provide valuable data that law enforcement can utilize to track the locations where victims are being exploited,” said researcher and TraffickCam co-developer, Gloria Thompson, in an interview with the Chicago Herald.
Many people may believe that human trafficking is not a significant issue in the United States, but the reality is alarming. Between January and March of this year alone, there were 1,654 new reports of human trafficking, according to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center. Of these cases, 1,378 involved women, and 546 were minors. In 2015, the organization identified 3,780 female victims of sex trafficking in the U.S. “It’s a misconception that this happens only in other countries. The industry has simply moved off the streets, and these transactions often occur in hotel rooms,” explained Lisa Carter, executive director of Child Protection USA, a non-profit dedicated to ending child exploitation.
Since its launch on June 20, public support for the app has been overwhelming. TraffickCam has garnered over 56,000 downloads and amassed more than 1.5 million hotel images worldwide. The app is free and compatible with iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, allowing users to take up to four pictures of their room from various angles. To ensure accuracy, the app matches the phone’s location with the hotel’s address, making it most effective when used right after checking in.
The app was developed through a collaboration between researchers at Washington University and the Exchange Initiative, a non-profit organization devoted to eradicating human trafficking. “For the first time, everyday people can participate in the fight against trafficking,” said Initiative director, Sarah Mitchell, to the Tribune. “There’s really no other tool that empowers individuals to make a difference like this.”
You can download the TraffickCam app here. For those who suspect human trafficking, resources are available. Reporting a case can be done via the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, which offers support around the clock in more than 200 languages.
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In summary, the TraffickCam app provides a powerful tool for individuals to assist in the fight against human trafficking by simply uploading images of hotel rooms. As awareness grows, this initiative can help bring the issue of trafficking to light in the U.S. and beyond.