Ark of Freedom

Ark of Freedom is a registered not-for-profit organization working to prevent the trafficking and exploitation of male, female, and transgender youth and young adults and identify and restore male victims of this heinous crime in Florida and across the United States. We are currently all volunteers. 

Click this link to read an Ark of Freedom success story of "Torrie" - http://arkoffreedom.org/?p=995

Our mission is to end the marginalization of boys and young men, and transgender youth who are either at risk or have been victimized by human trafficking and/or exploitation, through prevention , identification and treatment.  We will accomplish this goal through community awareness, education, empowerment, mobilization, outreach, the provision of male-specific, victim-centered, trauma-informed safe housing, and other restorative support services.

Our vision is a world where the trafficking in human beings simply does not exist.

Ark of Freedom fills a unique role in the war on trafficking in persons.  We are one of the first human rights organizations in the United States to aggressively address the marginalization of male survivors of trafficking. 

Ark of Freedom is one of the only anti-trafficking organization in the United States designing programs and raising funds for the construction of trafficking-specific safe and transitional housing solely for male survivors. 

We will manage programs specifically designed for commercially exploited boys.  Ark of Freedom provides a voice and ensures treatment for the significant number of boys and young men who have remained invisible far too long in the war on human trafficking.

LETTER FROM OUR CEO

“It is one of the greatest human rights abuses of our time. Around the world, millions of men, women, and children are bought, sold, beaten, and abused, locked in compelled service and hidden in darkness. They toil in factories and fields; in brothels and sweatshops; at sea, abroad, and at home. They are the victims of human trafficking -- a crime that amounts to modern-day slavery”- President Barack Obama

Since the passing of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which defined any person under the age of 18 made to perform a commercial sexual act as a victim of human trafficking rather than a criminal, a significant number of victims have largely remained invisible to law enforcement, service providers, and society at large – boys and young men.

Due to media sensationalism, discriminatory research, and inadequate victim identification, human trafficking is perceived as a women’s issue.  The number of male victims is thought to be so negligible that it does not justify the funding of rescue programs, services, or further research.  This could not be more further from the truth.

Boys and young men fall prey to human trafficking every day in America.  In fact, it is estimated that half of all commercially sexually exploited (trafficked) children are boys.  Runaway homeless males and gay and transgender youth are the most at-risk, with one in three being lured into prostitution or pornography within 48 hours of hitting the streets.  Countless boys and young men are lured by false promises of work and pay, only to find themselves imprisoned on migrant farms, fishing boats, and warehouses where they are forced to endure little or no pay, rationed food and water, violent beatings and rape. 

Florida ranks 3rd in the country for reported possible cases of human trafficking, yet not one bed is dedicated specifically to male survivors of labor trafficking in the state. Trauma-informed programs for commercially sexually exploited boys are nearly non-existent.  Due to extensive gaps in services and support for male survivors, countless continue to suffer in darkness and silence.  Murder, suicide, drug overdose, and HIV/AIDS take the lives of many. A victim of human trafficking will survive an average of six years unless identified and placed into care. Furthermore, victims who are not identified and provided with care are at greater risk of becoming perpetrators themselves.

Ark of Freedom has chosen to stand in the face of human trafficking.  Won’t you stand with us?

Nathan Earl, Founder and CEO