In the News

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

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...

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...

In response to the Sound of Freedom movie, survivors of human trafficking have compiled a list of movies exploring broader aspects of trafficking that are often overlooked. This list is focused on the root causes of human trafficking and was vetted by survivors around the world. Root causes include lack...

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...

At a press conference last month, San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit took aim at atSB357, the Safer Streets for All Act. The law, which went into effect two months ago,SB357, repealed previous California law that criminalized loitering with the intent to engage in sex work. Nisleit claimed SB357 prevented...

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...

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...

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...

October 20, 2022 Below is a joint open letter to the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) calling on CBP to demonstrate its continued commitment to combating forced labor in global supply chains by rejecting a proposal by driven by industry groups as part of the Commercial Customs...

This Labor Day, Cast’s Managing Attorney shares an open letter about a special labor trafficking survivor, Gabriel.  Dear Friend, Since I started as an attorney at Cast in 2017, Labor Day has been a difficult holiday. I love a cookout as much as anyone, but I feel conflicted about celebrating...

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Today, Assemblymember Tim Grayson (D-Concord) introduced AB 2553, sponsored by the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, which would establish the California Multidisciplinary Alliance to Stop Trafficking Act (California MAST). This bill aims to examine and evaluate existing programs and outreach for survivors and victims of human...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iJV21y55bc Human trafficking awareness should happen every day of the year so we are ending Human Trafficking Prevention Month with this important PSA in partnership with California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Performer and Cast Ambassador Nicole Scherzinger. Survivors need and deserve our help, not just in January, but all...

Dear Friends, When I think about the holidays, I think about home--about that feeling of security and trust, of knowing that the people around you love you unconditionally. I think about how Cast creates a feeling of home for survivors that opens the door to their journey to freedom and...

Every year, more than a thousand domestic workers are brought to the U.S. by diplomats and other foreign officials. What happens when those workers face abuse? Sri Yatun in California. She remembers wearing the baby around her like a shield. Taking care of him was part of her job: Sri...

Aisha shares her story of resilience this Labor Day.  Dear Friend, I will never forget the moment I entered Cast’s transitional shelter, Mariposa Haven. After years of being cut off from my family, denied control over my time, deprived of privacy and rest, I knew that this new place, a...

Farm workers in a California strawberry field. (Photo: F Armstrong Photography, via Shutterstock) The California Senate will vote soon on AB 364 by Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez. The Foreign Labor Contractor Registration bill is a quiet piece of legislation with the potential to speak loudly to our values and commitment to human...

Featured image by AP Photo/Marco Ugarte. In June 2002, Germania boarded a plane from Quito, Ecuador, to Washington, D.C. She was traveling to work for Verónica Peña, an Ecuadorian diplomat, caring for her home and her two children. Prior to her arrival in the U.S., Germania had been presented with...

The Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (Cast) was awarded $3.54 million from the City of Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department (HCID) to purchase additional housing for survivors of human trafficking.   “We are fortunate to have a leader on human trafficking like CAST in our city, where we...

The California Legislature has passed Cast’s $30 million request to fund human trafficking victim service providers over the next three years. This $30 million will provide emergency funding for survivors of human trafficking amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath to ensure survivors in every part of the state have...