The Exodus Road is a non-profit organization that specializes in staging rescues from alleged human trafficking, including raids of brothels and other sex work establishments. It states that it sends "mercenaries of hope," volunteer undercover operatives who have developed good relationships with local authorities and who pose as clients at brothels to learn about people being held against their will and then plan raids with the local police to arrest sex workers. The Exodus Road sometimes invites television crews and supporters watch and film its raids of brothels. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, The Exodus Road supports active operatives in India and southeast Asia, primarily in Thailand, and in the United States. As of April 01, 2019, The Exodus Road claims to have directly supported 1,139 rescues, made 544 arrests. However, the organization has refused requests from journalists to substantiate these claims. The Exodus Road's website states that it is not a faith-based organization, however many of its leadership team are motivated by the Christian faith and many of their current after care partners are faith-based.
Beginnings
In 2010, Matt and Laura Parker moved with their family to Thailand to direct a children's home, and in the process Matt began networking with the counter-trafficking NGOs in the area. After building a relationship with the police, he personally offered to start the process of collecting information for the local police to act on and assemble raids. After working two years doing investigative work and developing relationships with local governments and NGOs, The Exodus Road was founded in January 2012.
Criticism
The Exodus Road has been criticized as a religious organization that uses trafficking as a pretext to intervene against sex workers and remove their sources of income. The Exodus Road states it is not a religious organization but its cofounders and leaders acknowledge that religion is very important to them. The Exodus Road has also been criticized for using military jargon, such as describing volunteers as "covert operatives" to carry out an alleged humanitarian mission. One journalist referred to The Exodus Road and similar groups as, "white burly dudes, often ex-police or FBI...who get to live out some fantasy of breaking into some exotic locale and stealing away underage brown women for their own purposes,"
Fund Raising
A primary way that The Exodus Road fund raises is through the search and rescue team program. Donors are invited to contributed to one or more "teams" to fund operations in specific areas. However, the Exodus Road website acknowledges that it retains the full control of donated funds including the right to allocate them in any way it chooses. The volunteers, referred to as "covert operatives", specifically investigate sex work establishments and work with local police and are organized into four groups, by the regions they work in.
ALPHA Team
This team's focus is empowering nationals to fight slavery in their own communities, primarily in Thailand, but ultimately throughout southeast Asia. ALPHA works with national social workers on all cases for victim-centered care during and directly following rescue operations. The team is made up of mostly nationals, fostering a close relationship with local governmental partners. ALPHA works both local and high level cases, especially in sex trafficking of minors and labor trafficking.
BRAVO Team
The BRAVO team is exclusively made up of nationals with an experienced lead investigator, additional investigators, and social workers. In close relationships with police, they frequently collect data at brothels for rescue operations. India has extremely high instances of sex trafficking, including an emphasis on virgin sales, so many of the cases of freed slaves are from that industry. Quality transitional care and advocate for survivors with social workers are always provided for the victims after the raid.
CHARLIE Team
50% nationals and 50% Westerners. This team works cases in North, Central, and South America. They fight both sex and labor trafficking.
DELTA Team
Vetted and trained western volunteers. This team fights sex trafficking on short term missions throughout SE Asia and globally. Most are volunteers who serve for two-four weeks at a time.
S&R Cyber Operations Center
Utilizing technology, this center drives and analyzes data and evidence to support all field teams. This team is based out of Colorado Springs, CO. In 2016 The Exodus Road has a partnership with Salesforce.com to track sex work establishments and alleged trafficking victims.
Book
Laura Parker has written a book The Exodus Road: One Wife's Journey Into Sex Trafficking and Rescue in 2014.
