Washington , D . C ., in 2022 . We were discussing ACAMS Today ’ s Back to the Basics column and I asked if she had an interest in writing an article . Sara mentioned she had a vision for an HT article series that fit the goal of the column ( i . e ., simplifying complex topics down to the basics ). After saying something along the lines of , “ Well , let ’ s do it ,” we were off to the races .
Our goal for the article and the entire series was to drill down to the most important elements of what a reader should know about the complex and broad topic of HT . Should the reader wish to go deeper , we wanted to provide the most relevant resources on which the reader should focus . Ultimately , we wanted the reader to walk away with a clear understanding of HT .
Sara Crowe
sex and labor trafficking . As strategic initiatives director , Crowe , who worked at Polaris for 12 years , was the head of Polaris ’ s financial intelligence unit ( FIU ), conducting in-house research and collaborating with financial institutions , law enforcement and HT survivors to detect HT operations through criminals ’ financial footprints , to alleviate the burden placed on victims to testify in court , and to expedite financial restitution for trafficking victims ― all in an effort to lessen the profitability of HT and make traffickers accountable for their crimes . Crowe also worked on financial inclusion endeavors to promote the financial resiliency of HT survivors and other vulnerable groups , encouraging businesses to adopt responsible financing practices and incorporate stronger protections for their workers . Crowe also serves as a member of the advisory board for the Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking Initiative . Crowe received a bachelor ’ s degree in political science and government from Wake Forest University and a master ’ s degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University .
ACAMS Today ( AT ): Your article , “ Understanding Human Trafficking ,” clearly struck a chord with readers . What inspired you to write the article and what do you hope readers learned from it ?
Chris Bagnall ( CB ): Since I began writing for ACAMS , I have always wanted to write on the HT topic . It was Sara who ultimately inspired me to put pen to paper . By chance , Sara and I attended an inaugural AML Partnership Forum in
We have received such amazing feedback from the financial crimes community on the article series . One of the best outcomes has been inspiring and enabling others to join the fight . There is no better outcome than that .
Sara Crowe ( SC ): At Polaris , I had been working with AML professionals for several years on the issue of HT and we were making great progress , but I wanted to get the entire industry involved . Every time someone new joined the effort , I was thrilled that participation was expanding , but I also found that there were varying levels of familiarity with the subject . I frequently had to go “ back to basics ” to make sure we were all working from a shared baseline level of knowledge . Having this conversation again and again , I had come to understand the most common gaps in knowledge or misconceptions . When Chris told me about his concept for the Back to the Basics column , I thought it was an incredible opportunity to establish that shared foundation across the industry . If we ’ re all on the same page , we can really accelerate our progress and innovation in this area .
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