A report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the United Way Center to Combat Human Trafficking highlights the importance of strategic philanthropic investments to combat human trafficking.

The report, Trust by Performance: Uniting Business and Philanthropy Against Trafficking(24 pages, PDF), spotlights anti-trafficking initiatives from Deloitte, Delta Air Lines, Marriott International, Patagonia, UPS, Counter Human Trafficking Compliance Solutions (CHTCS), Traffik Analysis Hub, and Verité. Deloitte’s efforts include pro bono projects with non-governmental organizations such as Free the Slaves, the Alliance for Freedom, and the Polaris Project, as well as partnerships with software company AnnieCannons, Inc. Delta, which was one of 12 founding companies of the Global Business Coalition against Human Trafficking in 2012, partnered with Wellspring Living’s Women’s Academy in 2018 to create an apprenticeship program to help survivors overcome barriers to employment.

Marriott International made its anti-trafficking training mandatory for all hotel workers in 2017 and updated the training in 2021 in partnership with Polaris. Patagonia’s approach centers around strategic collaboration with key stakeholders, from internal alignment to supplier partnership, brand and industry collaboration, and engagement with governments, NGOs, industry associations, and consumers. And UPS partners with and supports the work of the United Way Center to Combat Human Trafficking, which is focused on diversity, equity, and survivor leadership; public engagement; collective impact; and strengthening the anti-trafficking movement.

“Human trafficking is a complex issue that requires a united and coordinated approach to end it,” wrote Center to Combat Human Trafficking executive director Mara Vanderslice Kelly and Glenn Spencer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce senior vice president, employment policy division, in the report’s introduction. “No single organization, corporation, or government can end this systemic injustice alone—our best hope is an approach that engages all stakeholders.”