EPISODE · Oct 20, 2025 · 5 MIN
When “Rescue” Is Rebranded: Compass Connections Takes the National Hotline
from SWOP Behind Bars Advocacy from the Margins · host Swopbehindbars
After nearly two decades under Polaris, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has a new operator: Compass Connections, a San Antonio nonprofit with deep ties to child welfare, foster care, and adoption. On paper, this looks like a routine management change. But for those of us on the ground - sex workers, survivors, and people criminalized by “anti-trafficking” systems - it’s not just paperwork. It’s a shift in power. Hotlines are never neutral. They decide who gets believed, who gets funneled to police, and whose stories vanish.
What this episode covers
After nearly two decades under Polaris, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has a new operator: Compass Connections, a San Antonio nonprofit with deep ties to child welfare, foster care, and adoption. On paper, this looks like a routine management change. But for those of us on the ground - sex workers, survivors, and people criminalized by “anti-trafficking” systems - it’s not just paperwork. It’s a shift in power. Hotlines are never neutral. They decide who gets believed, who gets funneled to police, and whose stories vanish.
NOW PLAYING
When “Rescue” Is Rebranded: Compass Connections Takes the National Hotline
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Mar 19, 2026 ·34m
Feb 18, 2026 ·11m
Feb 11, 2026 ·45m