PRESS RELEASE
WDC-33-2025
9 May 2025
Embassy Press and Information Section
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Migrant Workers Office in Washington, DC (MWO-WDC), in partnership with Polaris, conducted the third session of its Human Trafficking Awareness Seminar Series on May 9, 2025. The session focused on the services of the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH), a Polaris-operated helpline that provides immediate intervention and response to trafficking victim callers and tipsters. The session was conducted virtually and attended by 36 members of Filipino migrant communities in the United States, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, and the Philippines.
Resource speaker Laurel Downey, a Polaris case response specialist, discussed the steps in reporting suspected trafficking cases, the support services available to victims, and the safety measures necessary to ensure the safety of actual and potential victims of human trafficking and the individuals and organizations assisting them. She also provided an overview of how to effectively utilize the NHTH.
The hotline is available 24/7 and is accessible in over 200 languages including Filipino. It is supported by the Administration for Children and Families under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Ms. Downey also provided the National Human Trafficking Referral Directory containing anti-trafficking organizations and programs that offer emergency transitional or long-term services to victims and survivors of human trafficking. Ms. Freya Palad of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration under the MWO-WDC, facilitated the session. ###
PHOTO RELEASE
WDC-124-2025
9 May 2025
Polaris operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline which is being supported by the US Department of Health and Human Services.