OUR Rescue moving to Minnesota to Address High Sex Trafficking of Children

OUR Rescue (formerly known as Operation Underground Railroad) is a nonprofit focused on eradicating sex trafficking and child exploitation. CEO Tammy Lee, of Hopkins, took over leadership in February 2024 and is moving the headquarters from Salt Lake City to Minneapolis in January in order to work collaboratively and strategically with the area’s business and nonprofit communities. 

Minnesota is known for high sex trafficking of boys and girls. According to the Minnesota Attorney General’s office, a six-month study by local prosecutors found over 34,000 advertisements posted online for sex in the Twin Cities.

In 2023, Lee explains, sex trafficking was the most common form of trafficking in the state reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline — which also tracks labor exploitation — and approximately 23 percent  of those trafficked were minors. The number of tips received by the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force about possible human trafficking incidents rose 38 percent from 2022. 

Says Lee, “The I-35 corridor runs from Laredo, Texas, to Duluth, and is a major link in transporting people, as well as drug trafficking. Minnesota’s ports, such as those in Duluth, are critical entry points for traffickers, making the state a target for both domestic and international trafficking activities.”

She says trafficking is also prevalent near Native American reservations and through the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Lee had been involved in corporate affairs at several Minnesota-based companies prior to taking leadership at Our Rescue, including Carlson and Delta Airlines, which have been engaged in educating its travel personnel about trafficking warning signs. She has been a member of the White House Interagency Task Force to Combat Trafficking in Persons. 

In 2011, Minnesota became one of the first states in the nation to enact the Safe Harbor Law, designed to legally protect young survivors of trafficking. The law states that minors who are exploited for sex trafficking are not treated as criminals, but are given trauma-informed services. Previously they were arrested for prostitution, even if they were under the age of 18. Today the law protects people under the age of 24 who have been exploited.

Lee says there are still gaps in identifying and responding to victims, implementing survivor care, and enacting prevention and training efforts from the state. According to the Shared Hope report card on child and youth sex trafficking, Minnesota has an “F” grade for identification of victims — large gaps remain in tracking victims who are trafficked from other countries or caught up in the juvenile justice system.

Minnesota has a “D” grade in training law enforcement and school personnel, as well as prevention education in schools.

Lee indicates that after OUR Rescue relocates to Minneapolis in January, the goal will be to focus on prevention through intervention. The organization works with partners and communities to provide services to people who are or could be trafficked and exploited. It equips law enforcement with training and K9s to better identify and remove people from harm, and offers immediate care to people who have been removed from trafficking. They also work with parents, teachers, parents, and judges to prevent trafficking.

Locally, they plan to start work with the City of Minneapolis’ human trafficking prevention program, 180 Degrees, Brittney’s Place, and local law enforcement agencies. In August, OUR Rescue invited 60 nonprofits in the Twin Cities to apply for grants in order to expand collective support. 

Says Lee, “Minneapolis and Saint Paul are recognized for supporting a vibrant nonprofit sector, backed by a generous philanthropic community. Working at a central U.S. location within the strong ecosystem of nonprofits who share our mission, we can drive even greater impact in the fight against sex trafficking and child exploitation.”

Minnesota Women’s Press has had a deeper conversation with Tammy Lee that will appear in the February magazine about “Leading Ladies.”

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