In this episode of AML Conversations, John sits down with Sara Crowe, Strategic Initiatives Director, Financial Systems for the Polaris Project. Sara leads Polaris’s efforts to partner with the financial services industry to implement a comprehensive and industry-wide strategy to intervene in the crime of human trafficking. This initiative aims to 1) disrupt human trafficking businesses on a global scale by using existing financial system structures and processes (such as anti-money laundering and economic sanctions frameworks) to decrease the profitability of sex and labor trafficking while increasing the risk to traffickers; 2) shift financing practices to reward businesses with good labor conditions; and 3) bolster financial resiliency of vulnerable populations and trafficking survivors through financial inclusion initiatives.

During their discussion, John and Sara cover issues related to the crimes of human trafficking during the pandemic, the value of partnering with the financial sector and how to get engaged in any of a variety of projects supporting the detection and prevention of human trafficking.