[link removed]


** A new season for United Against Slavery and leadership begins!
------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I hope this message finds you well. For 15 years, I have had the privilege of working with many of you in the fight against human trafficking. Today, I’m sharing a personal and organizational update as United Against Slavery (UAS) enters a new season starting January 2025.

For the next two years, UAS will reduce active operations to allow me to focus on a single full-time job instead of multiple jobs. This decision, though difficult, will allow me to prioritize my physical, financial, and mental health. I am deeply grateful for an exceptional Board of Directors who agreed to continue their roles alongside me during this transition. Over the past year, we have deliberated on UAS's future while continuing to explore different avenues to secure funding. We each share the same desire to use our data to collaboratively identify many unresolved challenges in the anti-trafficking movement so that improvements can be made. While we have only begun to address what we believe is needed, we remain convinced that frontline data is a critical tool in counter-trafficking efforts to identify what is effective and what improvements are needed among stakeholders. However, there comes a point where we need to reassess our capacity to continue operating without sufficient
resources. Over these 15 years, I’ve dedicated thousands of volunteer hours in the anti-trafficking movement without having a salary, and at a significant personal cost to my family. My life journey has included overcoming personal adversities while channeling my experiences, professional skills, and passion for collaboration into this movement. This has shaped my resilience and deepened my commitment to serving. But truly, experiencing different obstacles in this movement has opened my eyes to more areas that needed to be problem solved.

Looking ahead, this pause allows the UAS team to evaluate the future and capacity to serve effectively. Securing resources for new frontline research has been challenging. Still, we have been good stewards of the $137,000 we have spent since 2014 by launching multiple research studies that collected new data from service providers, survivors, law enforcement, transportation, and other groups. We have often been told that UAS has united stakeholders, both in the United States and globally, who might not have collaborated otherwise. We have collected data from more than 5,300 survey respondents representing more than 50 countries. We are thrilled that our recent National Outreach Survey for Transportation (NOST ([link removed]) ) is already informing counter-trafficking work in conference presentations ([link removed]) , journal articles ([link removed]) , training
toolkits and programs in the bus industry ([link removed]) , confidential transportation funding opportunities, and the 2024 Department of Transportation Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking ([link removed]) report. We are committed to keeping our website, data, and resources active for continued use.

I co-founded UAS to help tackle unresolved challenges in the anti-trafficking space and developed our Collaborative Research Model to foster data-driven solutions while not having paid staff. Even in 2024, UAS identified our expanded team of data scientist, statistician, and senior researchers, all ready to lead UAS’ future research initiatives. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing dozens of survivors, Lived Experience Experts, and other stakeholders in more than 20 countries to help inform our research. Even though the life journeys in each group differs, the consensus has been clear: UAS frontline research is long overdue and critically needed.

While progress has been made in the anti-trafficking movement, sustainable funding and innovation remain essential to achieving lasting impact. Most of us have faced weeks of 60+ hour work schedules, limited funding, and a lack of policy and regulatory support, and it’s time to reflect on sustaining this mission while prioritizing our well-being. In early January, we will publish a paper featuring our victim service providers' data highlighting many challenges faced in daily operations, both personally and professionally. As stakeholders ourselves at UAS, we understand these unresolved issues first hand, which has motivated us to lead national and global efforts to address them collaboratively.

Many who know me recognize my deep passion for addressing the challenges in this space. I continue to believe in a path that will help address the movement’s lingering challenges and allowing the voices of frontline workers to be anonymously heard. Our collective mission is as urgent as ever, and I firmly believe that a stronger, better-supported anti-trafficking movement will achieve an even greater impact. However, changes are necessary in this movement, and we remain confident that our frontline data and Collaborative Research Model are valuable tools that can help drive those changes forward.

In this new season, I will continue the collaborations that are already underway with UAS. I am also exploring contract opportunities or, if available, a full-time paid position. I would be grateful for any recommendations you could share by contacting me on LinkedIn or via my UAS email. Thank you for your understanding, your collaboration, and for your ongoing support. I look forward to staying connected as I navigate this renewal period and as UAS continues its mission to support survivors and frontline stakeholders moving forward. Always remember that we are stronger when we work together! I wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a blessed and Happy New Year!

With gratitude and hope…Onward.

Christi Wigle, CEO

United Against Slavery

(e) [email protected]


** From the United Against Slavery Board of Directors
------------------------------------------------------------

We remain committed to the mission of addressing human trafficking through frontline research, even as we temporarily pause some operations due to funding challenges. Our belief in UAS’s vision and the leadership of Christi Wigle is unwavering.

This pause is an opportunity to regroup and strengthen our efforts to deliver critical data in the fight against trafficking. Thank you for your continued support as we work toward securing the resources needed to make a lasting impact. Together, we can find our way forward.

—The Board of UAS

View email in browser ([link removed])
United Against Slavery, LLC . 2348 W Andrew Johnson Hwy # 261 . Morristown, TN 37814-3208 . USA
update your preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe ([link removed])