SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (SNN) — The Sarasota organization “Hope Fleet” is putting in the effort to stop human trafficking with the official launch of, what they’re calling, a “revolutionary anti-human trafficking reporting app.”
Hope Fleet serves communities in need in the Caribbean by loading up private boats in Florida with essential supplies and sending them into the Caribbean.
They focus on four specific areas: Child well-being, community development, disaster response, and their latest anti-human trafficking program, “Hope Watch.”
“So the first thing you’re going to see is a way to submit anonymously, or you can report if you’re in immediate danger,” said Hope Fleet President and CEO Danny Moroney.
Human trafficking can be a very hidden crime and there are many different forms of it, so it’s important to know the signs.
“We knew that human-trafficking was happening on the waters in the Caribbean, so we wanted to give a way for the international boating community to spot certain signs of what trafficking might look like and give them a way that they could report this information. And we could not find that service internationally, so we launched Hope Watch. Now it’s been brought in so it can be used by anyone,” said Moroney.
The Hope Watch system is monitored 24/7, guaranteeing quick responses to incoming reports.
“You can use your current coordinates, and then it’s going to ask you several questions that are going to be important for us to know as we respond. And then you’ll submit,” said Moroney.
By teaming up with Lantern Rescue, an organization that rescues exploited, persecuted, and displaced individuals and families, every report submitted through the app is met with immediate action.
“When a tip is submitted to us, our team is reviewing it within seconds. And at that point, we’ll be passing it to our partners, Lantern Rescue, and Lantern Rescue will actually respond no matter what time,” said Moroney. “And we’re confident that between their actions and our actions, Hope Watch will save lives.”
There are multiple layers of data encryption and safety protocols that prevent any tracing back to the reporter without their permission.
“Human trafficking is happening now, which means we need to do something about it now. Download the Hope Watch app, even if you don’t think you’re going to use it or need it, download it so in case you see something or you’re traveling internationally, you can just report it. The more eyes that we have out looking for these types of incidents, the more we can actually save lives,” said Moroney.