Project Meridian Foundation's mission is to assist in the identification, capture, and prosecution of Human Traffickers by cooperating with International, Federal, State, and Local law enforcement agencies; and to rehabilitate the children and young women who are victims of Human and Sex Trafficking through Operation Safe House.

Since 2005, Project Meridian Foundation (PMF) has assisted with the identification and rescue of more than 1,756 Human Trafficking victims of all ages in the U.S. and more than 350 Human Trafficking victims globally. PMF has also assisted to identify, capture, and prosecute more than 850 Human Traffickers in the U.S. and globally; with additional Human Traffickers still being observed in ongoing investigations with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

Today with the proliferation of the internet, pedophiles and other predators are specifically targeting U.S. children and young women at alarming and increasing rates.

While the U.S. and other nations are cracking down on drugs and other illegal trades to cut off funding to terrorist groups; the terrorist groups are looking to replace lost "revenue" from these lucrative illicit sales. Globally, it is estimated that Human Trafficking and enslavement have an annual street value of over $34 billion dollars and it grows every year. It is documented that terrorist organizations and organized crime are now directly linked to Human Trafficking. These criminal enterprises have begun to migrate to children and under-aged women who are abundant and harder to protect. Traffickers use their victims as repeat commodities for forced prostitution, rape, child pornography, ritual torture, slave soldiers, child labor, indentured servitude, and organ trafficking. Victims, especially children, frequently encounter the traffickers who find it easy to kidnap and enslave children for longer periods. Children are also quickly becoming the targets for organ theft and transplant. Today, many think this problem is isolated to only third world countries and that it is not a problem in the United States, therefore insufficient federal funding has been provided to fully address this issue.

Although recent U.S. government funding has focused primarily on prevention through training and awareness, Project Meridian Foundation concentrates its efforts on the identification, capture, and prosecution of predators; as well as victim protection, medical treatment, and rehabilitation through Operation Safe House.

Project Meridian Foundation assists in prosecution of traffickers through a combination of intelligence gathering and other types of law enforcement activities. Due to the complexity of the trafficking crime syndicates, Project Meridian also offers intelligence gathering in drugs and arms trafficking that occurs through illegal entry routes into the United States. Through these efforts, Project Meridian helps combat the global war on terrorism and the war on Human Trafficking.

There currently exists a deficiency in the screening of Human Trafficking victims by U.S. government agencies and non-profit organizations. Project Meridian helps identify these victims; take them to an undisclosed, secure, remote facility; and provides a support system, free from intimidation, in which they can describe their situation and identify their captors. While at this facility, all victims are offered food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and counseling. In addition, for any victims of foreign origin, Project Meridian processes a T or U visa with the assistance of U.S. government agencies.

Project Meridian Foundation's goal is to build four Operation Safe Houses; three in the U.S. and one in Europe by 2014. Each safe house will have the capacity to serve 100 to 130 victims annually. To ensure maximum recovery, Operation Safe House provides these victims with 12 to 18 months of:

• Shelter at an undisclosed location
• Food and clothing
• 24-hour security
• Medical and Dental treatment
• Psychological review, evaluation, and care
• Witness protection opportunity
• Education and career training
• English, as a second language, courses
• Pet Therapy

Operation Safe House will have medical personnel, counselors, linguists, and social workers on staff at all times; will acquire intelligence; perform first level analysis; and disseminate the information to authorities in an effort to eradicate Human Trafficking operations.

To achieve these goals, Project Meridian Foundation is currently raising funds in the amount of $15 million to establish the first of their kind Operation Safe Houses and to continue operations of the organization.