More from this report
The multibillion-dollar criminal enterprise of human trafficking impacts hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. and 40 million+ globally. Making a difference requires a coordinated approach from many stakeholders in various industries. As a global leader, UPS knows that the transportation industry is uniquely positioned to help stop this heinous crime.
UPS has stepped up its efforts to put the brakes on human trafficking through stronger policies, employee awareness initiatives, and collaborative, philanthropic partnerships to achieve a collective community impact.
Policies
UPS strengthened its Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy and published it on the company’s Compliance & Ethics website. This policy, which strictly prohibits the use of any UPS assets or resources for any purpose that would enable the trafficking of persons, governs the UPS enterprise as a whole—its employees, suppliers, consultants, third-party representatives, and subcontractors.
Awareness
UPS joined forces with Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), a Colorado-based nonprofit whose mission is to saturate trucking and related industries with educational materials and equip drivers to recognize the signs of sex trafficking—teaching them whom to call, what to do, and, importantly, what not to do.
UPS drivers deliver in every community and can see something and say something that could save lives. As COVID-19 continues to impact vulnerable communities, UPS has expanded its partnership with TAT to provide training for all drivers in the U.S.
As a part of this expansion, UPS supports TAT’s Freedom Drivers Project (FDP), which uses a semi-tractor trailer equipped with resources to serve as a mobile exhibit on human trafficking. As of 2021, the exhibit reached more than 20,000 people. UPS provides in-kind transportation of the FDP, and select UPS drivers are trained to facilitate exhibit tours. The UPS Foundation provided funding for TAT’s podcast, Driving Freedom, which educates listeners on human trafficking and provides lifesaving information for trained truckers who can help shut down the illicit industry.
Community Impact
UPS and United Way have joined forces to combat human trafficking. UPSers continue to fuel the movement to end human trafficking by partnering with and supporting the work of the United Way Center to Combat Human Trafficking. Through this partnership, the center has built pathways to leadership for survivors, educated millions about the issue, developed community-based programs, and conducted global research that lays the foundation for increased impact in the movement to combat human trafficking.
The United Way Center to Combat Human Trafficking focuses on four key impact areas:
- Diversity, Equity, and Survivor Leadership: Placing Lived Experience at the Center ofOur Work
- Public Engagement: Educating Communities and Raising Awareness
- Collective Impact: Building Better Communities for All
- Catalyzation for Action: Strengtheningthe Anti-Trafficking Movement
Among the center’s many UPS-funded programs is the Community Impact Program, which addresses systemic issues identified by local United Ways, including providing housing in Atlanta, Georgia; connecting stakeholders in poverty-stricken communities in Brownsville, Texas; understanding the intersection of social services and survivor needs in Louisville, Kentucky; and tackling trafficking in a community with a prevalent commercial sex market in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Each of these critical United Way programs is made possible by the generosity of UPS employees who have contributed over $5 million to United Way in the fight against human trafficking. You can learn more in the report United Against Human Trafficking: Impact Report.
Partnerships
The business community faces risks and challenges associated with human trafficking on a daily basis. UPS is proud to harness the power of public-private partnerships to address this important issue in a meaningful way.