Dear John,

I hope your year is off to a strong start.

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and I’ve been reflecting on something I’ve learned over the years: awareness of the problem, without awareness of a practical solution, can be paralyzing. People see how big and dark the problem seems and feel powerless to respond.

What changes that is a solution we know works–and that can be replicated to protect millions.

That’s what your partnership is making possible.

This past quarter, we saw the globally recognized impact in Uganda continue and significant progress on HTI’s expansions in Texas and Kenya.

Uganda: A System Delivering Nationwide Protection

In Kable District, a man posing as a social worker was convicted of trafficking, sexual assault, and operating an illegal children’s home after exploiting vulnerable girls for years. He was sentenced to 46 years in prison, sending another powerful message to traffickers that the cost of their crimes is soaring.

HTI experts worked alongside local prosecutors and investigators throughout the case, strengthening the strategy that led to this outcome and building on precedent from earlier HTI-supported cases to ensure the strongest penalties available under Uganda’s trafficking laws were applied.

This is just one small example of what it looks like when a justice system is equipped to deliver protection on a national scale.

Every trafficker stopped–by enforcement or deterrence–represents countless future victims who will never experience that harm in the first place.

Texas: Building a Statewide Enforcement Solution

In Texas, we continue to work at the highest levels of state leadership, including the Governor’s Office, to implement a practical, scalable enforcement solution.

The first step has been identifying five strategic county-wide enforcement hubs where trafficking and child exploitation cases can be addressed with the consistency and support required to change outcomes. Our team is now working directly with prosecutors and investigators in these jurisdictions to equip them with the specialized skills to proactively identify these crimes, keep pace with evolving trafficking tactics, and build strong cases that stop offenders before more victims are harmed.

This is how a state begins to move from some of the highest levels of child exploitation in the country to becoming a national leader in protection.

Kenya: A Strategic Opportunity for High Impact

Kenya represents one of the most strategically significant opportunities we see anywhere to apply this proven model for maximum impact.

We now have partnership agreements in place with national government agencies responsible for prosecution and law enforcement. Leading the work is Michelle Prince, HTI’s inaugural Kenya County Director and a veteran prosecutor with deep experience in trafficking and child exploitation cases in the U.S. and internationally.

She is building the relationships that will anchor long-term collaboration with Kenyan authorities and strengthen how these cases are pursued nationwide.

A Strategic Milestone with DRK

HTI was recently selected for partnership with Draper Richards Kaplan (DRK), one of the world’s leading venture philanthropy firms.

Each year, DRK selects roughly 20 organizations from more than 2,200 candidates worldwide–less than 1%–backing solutions they believe can scale to address urgent global problems. HTI is honored to be the first ever anti-trafficking organization invited into the DRK portfolio.

This is strong external validation that HTI’s model is not only effective, but can be built to scale.

As we move through this fiscal year, we are focused on demonstrating that governments can use this practical, repeatable approach to hold traffickers accountable–and drive a wave of deterrence that prevents future victims from ever experiencing this harm.

Thank you for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us as we deliver that solution.

Gratefully,


Victor Boutros, CEO
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