Human Trafficking Data Lab
Bringing data and evidence to the fight against human trafficking
Each year, approximately 50 million people are trafficked into forced labor or sexual exploitation, generating billions of dollars in illicit profits for individual and corporate wrongdoers. Globally, policymakers are eager to find solutions to combat the problem, but they are hampered by a lack of data.
The Stanford Human Trafficking Data Lab is committed to fighting human trafficking through rigorous multidisciplinary research, close partnerships with frontline stakeholders, and large scale, research-driven policy interventions. For the past five years, the Lab has strategically focused its effort in Brazil through a strong partnership with Brazil’s Federal Labor Prosecution Office, a key actor in the country’s anti-trafficking response and policy agenda.
Featured Projects
Using AI to Detect Human Trafficking from Space
In and around the Brazilian Amazon, devastation of people and planet often intersect at sites of illicit charcoal production. In response to urgent frontline needs, our Lab has developed an innovative remote-detection tool that finds these sites and supports the formation of effective anti-trafficking task forces.
Sites identified with human trafficking risk indicators
Additional sites at high risk of employing human trafficking were located and targeted for inspection using tools created by the Lab in partnership with the Brazilian Federal Labor Prosecution Office.
The Lab benefits from faculty, researcher, and student participation across several disciplines at Stanford — and beyond
News
Check out the latest news from the Lab, including recent publications, quarterly newsletter, project updates, and more.
Support Our Work
We are grateful to our generous contributing partners, whose financial support makes our work on and off-campus possible, including working with undergraduates and graduate students in all aspects of our work.