NEED HELP? Call CAST’s 24-Hour Hotline    
888-KEY-2-FREE (888-539-2373)    

In the News

Legislation authored by Assemblymember Eloise Reyes Requiring California to Support Crime Victim Services Passes Public Safety Committee


AB 1956, authored by Assemblymember Eloise Reyes, passed unanimously in the Assembly Public Safety Committee. The bill requires California to support funding for essential crime victim services when there are reductions in funding of more than 10%. The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) deposits funding into the Crime Victims Fund,...

Read More

House overwhelmingly passes Fredrick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act


In a landslide vote of 414-11, the House of Representatives passed comprehensive legislation authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) to reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act for five years and strengthen and expand successful anti-trafficking programs to bolster the fight against modern-day slavery. “This critical legislation reauthorizes funding for FY2024 through 2028—a total of five...

Read More

Attorney General Bonta Urges Congress to Offer Funding for Crime Victims


Attorney General Bonta has joined a coalition of attorneys general representing 32 states and territories urging Congress to provide critical support and services to victims and survivors of crime by taking steps to increase the Crime Victims Fund (Fund) with short-term, bridge funding. The balance of the Fund, which was...

Read More

CAST Nominated for The For Freedom Impact Award


Cast has been nominated for The For Freedom Impact Award, which highlights organizations that Freedom United has partnered closely with on modern slavery campaigns in 2023, raising awareness and securing significant changes for a world more resilient to modern slavery. Voting is now open to the public  and will continue...

Read More

Saving Critical Services for Crime Victims: An Op-Ed by Cast CEO Kay Buck


The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) supports state and local programs aimed providing services to victims of crime, including those who have been trafficked, through the Crime Victims Fund (CVF). Unlike other government programs funded by taxpayer dollars, the CVF is financed by fines and fees collected from the prosecution...

Read More

Are You a Survivor of Human Trafficking?


Cast helps people who have been forced, threatened, or tricked into any kind of work, including commercial sex, by providing legal and social services. You could be a human trafficking survivor if... (READ MORE)

Read More

Measuring the Impact of Cast Services Over Time


Human trafficking can have numerous lasting impacts on survivors’ lives. These include mental health impacts, such as depression and PTSD; physical health impacts, such as chronic pain, injuries, and exposure to sexually transmitted infections; housing instability or homelessness; and legal issues related to immigration, child custody, eviction, and vacatur or...

Read More

Forced Criminality Interactive Dashboard


Cast was selected as one of 25 organizations across the U.S. to leverage data and technology to advance racial equity in policing, prosecution, and prevention. This initiative was supported by the Urban Institute and Microsoft Justice Reform. Our project was specifically focused on 'Forced Criminality', which refers to the act...

Read More

November 2023 Newsletter and Updates


Don't miss out on the latest happenings at Cast. Our November newsletter has got you covered. Be in the know and stay informed by checking it out today. November Newsletter 2023

Read More

Cast Applauds LA Board of Supervisors Motion to Take a Public Health Approach to Human Trafficking and Mental Health and Housing for Survivors


Cast applauds recent motions by the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors to address the housing and mental health needs of survivors of violence. We are encouraged by the County's adoption of a public health perspective when addressing human trafficking. Cast has over 25 years of experience providing direct services for...

Read More

PTSD and Survivors of Human Trafficking


Human trafficking can have long-term effects on survivors’ mental health. Additionally, many of the conditions that make people vulnerable to trafficking, such as poverty and discrimination, can also have long-term effects on mental health.³ One of the most common outcomes is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This briefing note explores the...

Read More

Join Us: Working Together Against Human Trafficking


Sunday, July 30th is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, and this year’s theme is to leave no one behind. As people and organizations working to end human trafficking daily, this rings true for us. You may have recently seen or heard about the new movie Sound of Freedom, and...

Read More

Addressing homelessness in LA will help stop human trafficking


It seems like whenever human trafficking is in the news, we get a sensational view and not the full picture. A celebrity has been arrested for sex trafficking, and all the victims are young women. A company has been caught paying their immigrant workers nothing. What should be making the...

Read More

2023-2024 Stanton Fellowship


The Stanton Fellowship 2023-2024 cohort: Doug Bond, Tony Brown, Kay Buck, Dr. Andrea Garcia, Joel Garcia, and EJ Hill.  The Durfee Foundation has announced that Kay Buck, CEO of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, is one of six recipients of the 2023-2024 Durfee Stanton Fellowship.  The Fellowship aims...

Read More

Survivor Stories: Meet Daniela


Daniela came to the US to escape police brutality in El Salvador. She never expected to face even greater hardships.  When Daniela entered Cast, she had been making good progress in her recovery from her trafficking experience and was happy to have been reunited with her family, who were escaping...

Read More