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As we approach the end of 2024, we are taking a moment to reflect on a year of innovation, resilience, and impact. Together, we’ve taken bold steps towards preventing exploitation, disrupting trafficking networks, and empowering communities worldwide. Your unwavering support has enabled us to expand our reach, enhance our tools, and bring hope to vulnerable individuals across the globe.
Before we turn our focus to 2025, here’s a brief look back at the milestones and achievements that defined 2024. We’ll return with a newsletter in January to share our plans for the year ahead. Until then, here’s how 2024 unfolded:
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Traffickers constantly evolve their tactics, and so do we. Our prevention programmes are designed to disrupt the recruitment of adults and children into trafficking. By transforming social media into a tool for prevention, we delivered geo-targeted digital campaigns that educated at-risk individuals on spotting the signs, staying safe, and accessing trusted support services.
This year, our campaigns reached over 1 million people globally, with 70,000 engaging with vital safety information and 82 vulnerable people directly supported to safety who may otherwise have been trafficked.
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We run prevention programmes worldwide, and 2024 was no exception. Highlights included our County Lines Campaign in the UK, designed with and for young people, which achieved a remarkable click-through rate and sparked vital conversations with at-risk youth. In Greece, our Aman Safety Programme provided critical safety information and directly connected 66 individuals from 9 nationalities to safety. Meanwhile, Project PSP in Romania effectively safeguarded young women and girls, demonstrating the power of targeted prevention in vulnerable communities.
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Human trafficking generates an estimated $500 billion annually, fuelling exploitation on a massive scale. This year, we made significant strides in disrupting those profits by working with 13 financial institutions and training 348 professionals to identify and block trafficking-related transactions.
At the core of our efforts is the Traffik Analysis Hub, the world’s richest collection of lived experience data. This year, the TA Hub grew to include over 9 million data points, and is now supported by 210 NGOs worldwide. We continued to grow and enhance our intelligence efforts, launching the Power of 10 initiative in Cyprus, which strengthened local data-sharing networks. We participated a Hackathon, as part of Operation CyberProtect, collaborating with INTERPOL and the OSCE to expose trafficking networks exploiting Latin Americans in Europe.
A major achievement was the expansion of the STOP App into 23 languages, empowering 70% of the global speaking population to report exploitation and access support. These initiatives underscore the transformative power of data in preventing exploitation and dismantling trafficking networks worldwide.
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2024 brought global shifts that shaped the landscape of modern slavery and human trafficking. From major international events to ongoing conflicts, we stayed proactive in addressing the intersections of trafficking and world issues. At the Paris Olympics, we spotlighted the rise in trafficking tied to large-scale events, equipping stakeholders with intelligence to combat exploitation. In conflict zones, such as Ukraine, Palestine and Sudan we saw alarming trends, including organ trafficking and labour exploitation, and called for urgent targeted prevention. Closer to home, in the West Midlands, we worked to disrupt organised crime groups linked to sexual exploitation, demonstrating the power of local collaboration in safeguarding communities. By collecting insights from lived experiences and using this analysis to inform our strategies, we continue to tackle trafficking wherever it emerges.
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2024 marked pivotal leadership changes at STOP THE TRAFFIK, strengthening our mission to disrupt trafficking and protect vulnerable communities. Nick Dale joined as Director of Intelligence, bringing decades of law enforcement expertise to enhance data-driven prevention strategies. Neil Giles transitioned to Global Intelligence Ambassador and President of the Traffik Analysis Hub, continuing to foster global partnerships and drive innovative disruption of trafficking networks.
Maria Harb was promoted to Head of Prevention and Intelligence, where she will shape the future of our intelligence-led initiatives. Founding CEO Ruth Dearnley stepped into the role of President, focusing on expanding global partnerships. Whilst Rebekah Lisgarten assumed the position of CEO, leading the organisation into its next chapter. Together, these leaders are advancing STOP THE TRAFFIK’s legacy, ready to lead a new era of intelligence, collaboration, and innovation to drive lasting change.
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None of our work is possible without the vital funding to sustain our efforts and the awareness to amplify our impact. Together, we are building a future where trafficking is prevented, lives are transformed, and hope thrives.
This year, your generosity powered incredible milestones. Over 1,400 donations and the support of over 100 monthly donors sustained our work throughout 2024. Highlights included the Unwrap the Truth Christmas campaign, which raised over £40,000, and a BBC Radio 4 appeal that brought in more than £20,000, doubled by a match funder to extend our reach further. Corporate partnerships with 10 companies provided essential funding and pro bono support, while our first-ever STOP THE TRAFFIK Games united communities in friendly competition, raising awareness and essential funds.
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Thanks to your support, we move closer to a future where no one is bought or sold. Thank you for standing with us this year!
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