Frequently Asked

The Exodus Road unofficially began in Thailand in the fall of 2011, becoming a 501(c)3 in 2012. Matt and Laura Parker were living and working in Southeast Asia with their three young children. After a year of research and engaging with the counter-trafficking community on the ground, Matt began to see the deficiencies of intervention efforts due to a lack of funding, collaboration, training, and equipment.

Over a two-year period, he built relationships with the government and local NGOs that led him to become a deputized informant with local Thai police. Learning from his own investigative work on the ground, he and Laura began The Exodus Road to support local police efforts in finding victims, building case evidence, and facilitating intervention operations.

Since that time, the work of The Exodus Road has grown to include aftercare, training, and education as well. You can watch their gripping genesis story in the short film Ordinary.

Our Vision: A world in which humans are never bought, sold, or exploited.

Our Mission: We disrupt the darkness of modern-day slavery by partnering with law enforcement to fight human trafficking crime, equipping communities to protect the vulnerable, and empowering survivors as they walk into freedom.

We are a values-driven organization. We know that the people we are in the midst of the work we do matters greatly. Our organizational values:

• Mission: Strategic focus on making human trafficking dangerous while bringing freedom to individuals
• Excellence: A constant drive towards outstanding quality
• Integrity: Commitment to consistent, transparent actions that follow values
• Innovation: Consistently imagining new possibilities despite the risk of failure
• Community: Generously investing in relationships
• Grit: Courage to step in and a refusal to give up, despite obstacles
• Empowerment: Humbly understanding that serving others is the way to success
• Hope: Celebrating the good in the world, the work, and the people around us

No. The Exodus Road is a 501c3 nonprofit, registered with the U.S. government, without religious affiliation. We believe that one of the unique functions we serve in this field is to gather as many people as possible "around the table" for the sake of bringing justice to the enslaved.

Our staff and teams around the world represent a variety of religions and cultures, as do the survivors we serve. You can read more about our inclusive philosophy here.

Absolutely. We believe that our organization is stronger and our mission is better served by a diverse community. Our staff and donor community represent an array of socio-economic, cultural, religious, and political diversity. Additionally, our international teams are comprised of 98% local nationals.

We seek to foster a culture of learning and listening and welcome differences as opportunities to see the world and justice in a more integrated light.

Our work of rescue often happens far away from our headquarters in Colorado Springs, and we wanted to bring it closer to our day-to-day operations. After our first successful rescue mission in 2012, we decided that for each victim rescued in the field, a TER staff member would hand decorate a Colorado river rock with the date, location of the rescue, name of the TER Operations team involved, and a representative name of the survivor.

Today, our offices are filled with thousands of rocks. We also have blank rocks on each desk as a reminder of those still in slavery who need to be found, and still wait for freedom.

At our core, we believe that human trafficking must be fought from within a culture if it is going to be fought at all; this is the only sustainable and systematic approach. We understand that collaboration with local law enforcement, national leaders, and like-minded organizations is critical for success.

We are an organization committed to exercising excellence in our methodology, strategy, policies, and partnerships. We believe civil society can make an impact on modern-day slavery — and work to mobilize it to that end. We also believe that "justice is in the hands of the ordinary," and that every individual has a role to play in bringing freedom.

The Exodus Road invests in three core programs that strategically and holistically address human trafficking through Training & Education, Intervention, and Aftercare.

We empower Intervention teams to work alongside national law enforcement partners to build capacity within local justice systems. Our teams are comprised primarily of highly trained and vetted nationals.

Through our Training and Education program, we equip national police, NGO practitioners, students, and local communities with quality counter-trafficking content. TraffickWatch Academy offers expert and engaging digital training modules. Influenced is in-person training for parents and teens on navigating the digital world while avoiding exploitation.

Our Aftercare program utilizes a trauma-informed approach and meets specific survivor care needs in the countries where we work, including Freedom Home in Thailand.

The Exodus Road has headquarters in Colorado, USA, and works in Brazil, India, the Philippines, Thailand, an undisclosed country in Latin America, and the United States.

We use a strategic, organic methodology to determine where and how we expand into new areas and countries. We always work within legal local frameworks, with collaborative relationships, and centering the work of local nationals.

A cyber investigations team operates out of The Exodus Road's Colorado office, comprised of highly skilled volunteers with decades of experience in cyber analytics. Known as DELTA Silver, this team compiles actionable digital evidence of suspected trafficking delivered to law enforcement.

We also provide training and education through TraffickWatch Academy and Influenced, plus services and technology to U.S. law enforcement partners on a project basis.

Our on-the-ground intervention work takes place in India, Thailand, the Philippines, and Latin America.

The Exodus Road was birthed out of recognition of the deficiencies of intervention efforts around the globe. That deficiency still exists, so supporting police in investigative case building remains a focus.

When we build the capacities and effectiveness of local justice systems to combat human trafficking crime, we're making a strategic impact. Survivors are freed, and criminal networks are stopped from exploiting more vulnerable people in the future.

A "rescue" is a "targeted intervention." When we use the word "rescue," we're speaking of freedom from a situation of "force, abduction, fraud, or coercion" — qualifying conditions for human trafficking as defined by the United Nations.

This can include cases involving restricted movement, trafficking across borders, the trafficking of minors for sex, debt bondage, or labor trafficking. The Exodus Road only works on such cases under the authority of and in collaboration with local police.

Learn more about how we use the word "rescue" in our communications.

Yes! The Exodus Road recognizes that rescue is the first step in a long journey of restoration and healing. Here's how we invest in trauma-informed survivor care:

1. We employ local social workers and crisis care workers as an integral part of our Intervention teams.
2. We operate Freedom Home in Southeast Asia, a trauma-informed safe house and mentorship program.
3. We partner with other NGOs in collaborative aftercare programming.
4. Our Survivor Care Fund meets unique needs like emergency services, medical care, education expenses, and legal costs.

Read more about our Aftercare program.

We've created TraffickWatch Academy — a digital training platform that offers expert training from global experts:

1. TraffickWatch Brazil: Ten modules designed to train law enforcement officers in Brazil.
2. TraffickWatch U.S.: Two video modules equipping citizens with understanding of human trafficking and practical ways to keep their communities safe.

We also provide Influenced, training for parents and teens on safely navigating the online world.

When we share about a rescue, arrest, or operation, we're referencing cases in which The Exodus Road had a significant role through supplying investigative support, key evidence, critical technology, or substantial funding resources.

We utilize an FBI-grade encrypted case management system, Case Closed, to manage and store all investigative records. For security reasons, we cannot make many records public, but we share statistics and details when safe to do so.

We believe the strongest agents for social change are nationals, and our primary collaborative partnership lies with local and national law enforcement. Building capacity within local justice systems is critical for impact.

We supply trusted partners with technology, investigative work, funding, training, gear, and support to build effective human trafficking cases. We only work on cases under the authority of local police, in a support-based role.

No. The Exodus Road does not fight prostitution; we fight human trafficking. Our teams are not looking for women and men who are in the sex industry by choice, but rather those who cannot walk away due to "force, fraud, or coercion" or who are underage.

Our focus on identifying and freeing people trapped in exploitation against their will has a direct impact on the larger criminal systems of global trafficking.

We have highly trained investigative teams operating in India, Thailand, the Philippines, and an undisclosed country in Latin America. Teams are comprised of staff members (many retired law enforcement or military) and volunteers who have been vetted, trained, and empowered.

Most are full-time national investigators employed by The Exodus Road. We augment their work with volunteer investigators on specific casework (who serve on DELTA team).

Human trafficking must be fought from within a culture if it is going to be fought at all; this is the only sustainable and systematic approach. We acknowledge the deep understanding that local law enforcement and governments have of their own country, laws, and human trafficking crime.

We operate with a value of centering, equipping, and learning from national staff, partners, and leaders.

We prioritize the health and well-being of all staff members but put special focus on our investigators. All staff have access to a mental health professional to work through any issues resulting from this difficult work.

We have specific mental health resources for front-line investigators that include trauma-informed counseling with experts in trauma-based therapy.

Freedom is the first step in a long journey of restoration. We employ local social workers as an integral part of our Intervention teams to care for survivors in the critical hours during and after an intervention.

Because we operate within local social welfare system mandates, The Exodus Road has limited control over where survivors are placed after an operation. Our Aftercare program is working to address these important needs through impactful projects.

Making human trafficking crime more dangerous for criminal networks impacts systematic change. Arrests send a message to traffickers, increase risk for illegal activities, and break bribe-driven relationships between government and criminal operators.

With every successful arrest, we're preventing the abuse of many victims who the imprisoned traffickers will not hurt tomorrow. Read why human trafficking intervention is so necessary.

Cutting-edge technology is critical to fighting human trafficking crime. We partner with TrafficJam (AI-driven software that identifies trafficking victims online) and Cellebrite (mobile forensic units donated to police partners worldwide).

Our teams utilize Case Closed, the leading CJIS-compliant case management software for encrypted management and analysis of all investigative evidence. We also utilize covert and body-worn gear to capture effective evidence.

Our Intervention teams use best practices and standard operating procedures emphasizing safety for themselves, law enforcement partners, and victims. We maintain excellence through strict vetting, consistent training, and strict protocols.

All teams operate under the TER Investigative Manual, developed after nearly a decade of international investigative work. Active operations are always conducted in police partnerships and with a team approach.

Everyone has a role to play in ending human trafficking:

1. Donate: Join Freedom Collective, our monthly giving community, or make a one-time donation.
2. Fundraise: Join us in saying "Kids Should Never Be Sold" and gather your friends for impact.
3. Learn: Take 20 minutes to learn through our TraffickWatch Academy digital training modules.

You can always reach out to our team and start a conversation, too!

The Exodus Road is a 501(c)3 nonprofit in good standing in Colorado. We've earned a Platinum rating through Guidestar, a perfect score (100/100) on Charity Navigator, and are certified Transparent with Excellence in Giving.

Since 2013, we've voluntarily undergone an annual independent financial audit. View our full financial data here.

The Exodus Road is guided by a talented Board of Directors — nine members with diverse professional backgrounds and skills, each elected for a three-year term.

Board members steer the organization towards a sustainable future by adopting sound governance and financial management policies. Meet them on our Team Page.

Our international affiliate organizations are governed independently under national leadership through their own nonprofit boards or leadership teams.

Salaries are determined within fair compensation standards in Colorado for our nonprofit's size and scope. All salaries fall within an approved range, advised by an independent HR consultant specializing in nonprofit salary surveys and approved by the Board of Directors.

An Executive Compensation Committee meets annually to determine executive compensation within approved guidelines.

The Exodus Road is a 501(c)(3) in Colorado. Our U.S. office focuses on fundraising, program support, advocacy and education, donor relationships, finance, and global oversight.

Our international teams represent independent affiliate organizations that TER launched—operating with the TER name and brand, primarily funded by the TER community. This structure allows us to provide support while giving ownership and authority to national teams.

This work is made possible through the generosity of our community. The Exodus Road is funded by individual household donors, private foundations, and corporate sponsors. Our Freedom Collective monthly donors make our work sustainable.

See some of our generous partners here.

If you suspect human trafficking in your community or while traveling:

• Safe House Project's Hotline: Call (507) 769-0819, download the app, or use the Online Form

If you're witnessing a trafficking crime in progress or experiencing an emergency, contact local law enforcement immediately. In the U.S., dial 911.