In this segment of AML Now, John J. Byrne, CAMS, ACAMS advisory board member and president of Condor Consulting, LLC, sat down with Sara Crowe and David Medina of Polaris. Crowe and Medina detailed the many ways that victims of forced labor are harmed in the agricultural field, the challenges of illegal massage parlors, the history of Polaris and how they are working with the anti-money laundering community in a variety of ways.
Sara Crowe is the data analysis program director at Polaris, a leading counter-trafficking organization. Crowe is focused on providing key stakeholders with valuable data to inform strategies aimed at addressing and preventing human trafficking. In this role, she is responsible for the quality and utility of one of the largest human trafficking-specific datasets in the world. Working in a field that has traditionally been under-resourced and technologically underdeveloped, Crowe supports the data infrastructure of agencies across the globe through consultation and by creating, deploying and managing data collection and analysis systems. As more robust datasets related to human trafficking are developed, she is increasingly turning her attention to implementing technical solutions that allows for increased information sharing while maintaining the privacy of survivors. Prior to joining Polaris' Data Analysis Program, Crowe spent four years working in various roles for the U.S. national human trafficking hotline operated by Polaris.
David Medina is a data analyst on Polaris’ Data Analyst Program where his research is focused on labor trafficking in the industry of agriculture. More specifically, Medina is investigating violations in the labor recruitment-supply chain of the H-2A visa guest worker program and the exploitation and trafficking of undocumented migrants in agriculture across the U.S. Medina is an M.A. graduate in International Affairs from the Elliott School at George Washington University. In his three years in Washington D.C., Medina has worked as a program manager at the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area, and most recently, as a global security analyst at the World Bank Group. David also worked as a security consultant for Espacios de Mujer, a Medellin, Colombia-based NGO that assists and reintegrates victims of human trafficking. Prior to this, Medina worked as a researcher at Mahidol University’s Institute for Population and Social Research in Bangkok, Thailand, where he investigated the nexus between human trafficking and access to education in the ASEAN economic region. Medina has a background in teaching, coaching, and diversity workshop facilitation. He is bilingual and an avid travel and sports enthusiast.
People can receive help, report a tip, or request information or training by calling the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or by sending a text to BeFree (233733); www.polarisproject.org
