Lagon is the executive director of the D.C.-based anti-human-trafficking group Polaris Project. He stepped into the role earlier this year after leaving his post as U.S. ambassador at large heading the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. On Saturday, he will be among the more than 600 participants at Washington’s Meridian Hill Park for the Walk to Stop Child Trafficking Now (http://walk.modernslavery.org).
How did you first become interested in fighting human trafficking?
I was a staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2000 and I watched a coalition of left and right come together and fight for human dignity when it passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. I have been interested ever since. I had no idea that ultimately I would be heading the office in the State Department that law created.
Many Americans see human trafficking as an issue that’s a problem for other countries. What would you say to them?
It’s a problem in many developing countries, but it’s also a problem right here in the United States. You don’t have to cross a border to be trafficked, it’s about exploitation. … If we’re telling other countries to improve, then the most important thing to do is set a good example here in the U.S.
After being ambassador you likely had many opportunities open to you. Why did you chose Polaris?
Polaris was a very important partner of mine when I was the chair of the U.S. interagency group to fight human trafficking. They helped me understand the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. approach. Polaris is committed to working with all victims of human trafficking, from sex slaves to domestic servitude, and it was that commitment that brought me here.
Do you think that, as an issue, human trafficking is starting to gain traction?
It clearly is. There are now more than 100 pending bills in state legislatures related to human trafficking. The human trafficking hot line [run by Polaris] has had a 200 percent increase in calls over last year.
— Freeman Klopott
