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Human Trafficking
Human trafficking became a federal crime in 2000 with the passing of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act – which defines human trafficking as the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person into providing commercial sex acts or labor services against his/her will. Human trafficking is divided into two categories: sex trafficking and labor trafficking.

In the United States, for a case to be considered human trafficking, there must be one element from each category of the Actions, Means, Purpose (A-M-P) Model.

A-M-P Model
Actions                    Means                 Purpose
Recruits                  Force                   Commercial Sex Act
Harbors                  Fraud                   Labor or Services
Transports            Coercion
Provides
Obtains

The Traffickers
Traffickers exploit others’ vulnerabilities for the profit gained from forced labor and commercial sex. They prey on those people who are hoping for a better life, lack of employment opportunities, have an unstable home life, or have a history of sexual or physical abuse.

Traffickers come from a wide range of criminals, including individual pimps, family operations, small businesses, loose-knit decentralized criminal networks, and international organized crime operations. Essentially anyone can be considered a trafficker if they exploit others for high profit with very low risk.

The Victims
In the United States, victims of human trafficking are men and women, adults and children, US citizens as well as foreign nationals. It is estimated that there are 20 – 30 million victims globally who are trapped in the human trafficking industry. Human trafficking has been identified in cities, suburbs, and rural areas in all 50 states and Washington D.C. Victims are forced to work or provide commercial sex against their will in legal and legitimate business settings as well as illegal underground markets.

Mission
Because of the widespread lack of awareness and understanding, human trafficking can occur in plain sight because the general public is not aware of what signs to look for in identifying victims.

My name is Trent Havard and that is why I formed S.T.O.P. (Stop Trafficking Oppressed People).  I am taking an initiative. On March 30, 2015, I am launching a national mission trip to raise awareness and funds to help combat human trafficking and prayerfully end modern day slavery once and for all.

I will be riding a bicycle from coast-to-coast and from border-to-border (roughly 25,000 miles). I will be conducting town hall style meetings in every city/town I stop for the night. These meetings will serve as an educational tool to equip those who attend, to help in this fight. The meetings will also be a contact point of commitment for the ministry. S.T.O.P. is working with Greater Houston area and national organizations involved in the rescue and aftercare of victims.

Action
Join me in taking a stance against traffickers and let us end modern day slavery.  Please consider contributing financially to support this mission/ministry outreach.