A New Year. A Renewed Mission.

Hello and Happy New Year, everyone!

I’m wishing all of you a 2026 filled with love, light, peace, and fulfillment in every area of your life. As we usher in this new year, it’s important to remember that human trafficking hasn’t disappeared, it continues to impact members of our communities. January marks Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and Last Word is aiming higher in 2026 than ever before.

Various global reports indicate that human trafficking generates close to $500 billion in annual revenue. To put that in perspective, Amazon, one of the largest global companies, reported over $638 billion in revenue in 2024. The reality is, we may never know the true annual revenue of this crime because human trafficking remains both underreported and widely misunderstood.

While estimates vary on how much human trafficking truly generates each year, the cost of recovery for survivors is equally concerning. When survivors enter recovery, they often need detox support, clothing, medical treatment, trauma-informed therapy, and more, and those are just the basics. Long-term support frequently reaches tens of thousands of dollars or more, even before accounting for ongoing care, education, and stability support.

That’s why Last Word is excited to announce the launch of our 2026 campaign: Freedom, Funded. The goal of this initiative is to meet survivors wherever they are in their recovery journey, financially, emotionally, and holistically through partnerships with vetted grassroots nonprofits who work directly with survivors of human trafficking.

As you begin this new year, we invite you to do so with intentionality, impact, and a heart that seeks to make real change. Help us reach our goal of $500,000 to support survivors in recovery and who knows, maybe together we can raise even more than what human trafficking generated last year.

Thank you for being loyal followers and supporters of Last Word. Be sure to follow along on our social channels so you can stay up to date with our day-to-day work and learn how you can help make a difference.

Check out how you can help here.

Sources: Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime | International Labor Organization