© 2024 WEMU
Serving Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, MI
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Michigan Non-Profits Looking To Google To Fight Human Trafficking

Google
Wikipedia Media Commons
/
wikipedia.org

Michigan non-profits are looking into an innovative way of fighting human trafficking.  The idea is to take advantage of free advertising on Google.

Google offers $10,000 in free ads to non-profit organizations.  The Michigan Human Trafficking Commission and a state police taskforce are working on gathering as many non-profits as possible to apply for the advertising with one goal in mind – deter people who search for paid sex from following through.  The non-profits would use their advertisement allowance for anti-trafficking ads that would pop up when someone uses certain key words. 

Kathy Maitland is a member of the committee and the taskforce.  She said some people, like those with sex addictions, might not realize the harm they are causing.  

“That’s ultimately the desire is to help people get out of this and to you know see people transformed rather than just arresting bad people,” she said. 

Maitland says the idea behind the project is to work on whittling down the demand for paid for sex, which is a core cause of human trafficking.  She says for some people, just realizing the ramifications of using escort services and paying for sex can be a deterrent.  

“Some people don’t understand what they’re doing,” she said.  “That there’s victims behind what they’re doing.  And for some people knowing that will make a difference.”

Maitland says they are currently working on an informational website that viewers will go to if they click on the ad.  They hope to have the website ready by early 2017.

Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

—Cheyna Roth is a reporter for the Michigan Public Radio network.  Contact WEMU News at 734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org

Related Content