For years on end, Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) has actively fought against human trafficking; their work against human trafficking occurs both here in the United States and overseas.

OUR does this by not only partnering with law enforcement to conduct sting operations and help bring traffickers to justice, but also by providing aftercare services and support to survivors of trafficking.

Various events hosted by OUR include the annual Rise Up Get Loud concerts. Although later this year, the anti-human trafficking organization is also hosting an event in December to raise awareness.

Rise Together, An Evening of Hope

On Saturday, December 3, Rise Together, An Evening of Hope takes place. This event will feature a performance from the Plain White T's band, along with remarks from OUR founder Tim Ballard and Slavery Free World founder Marisol Nichols.

An Evening of Hope will happen in Scottsdale, Arizona at The Phoenician. This is a black tie event that starts at 5:30 PM MST.

https://twitter.com/OURrescue/status/1572349897466327042

During An Evening of Hope, event attendees will not only receive important education about human trafficking; they'll also learn about unique ways to make a difference in combating this form of modern-day slavery.

More on OUR's work

Since OUR's founding in 2013, the organization has led to the arrest of more than 4,000 predators. Furthermore, thanks to OUR, more than 6,000 survivors have been rescued from the clutches of human traffickers.

Sadly, human trafficking continues to maintain and expand. When the world shut down in 2020 and parts of 2021, this led to a lot of folks, including children, going online more often.

Contrary to certain beliefs, human traffickers often use the internet to traffick and victimize individuals.

Traffickers employ social media sites, video games, chatrooms, etc., to make contact with children (and even adult targets). Sometimes, these traffickers even pose as children to build rapport with and groom their targets.

To this day, many people remain significantly unaware of just how pervasive human trafficking is. Though ignorance largely feeds into human traffickers and enables predators.

Meanwhile, victims and survivors are the ones left to pick up the pieces afterward.

Anyone who wishes to report what they believe to be human trafficking can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline via phone at 1 (888) 373-7888 or by text at 233733.