For traffickers, it’s a transaction — children sold for the price of a meal, women bought and discarded like objects. But for the hundreds gathered at Atlas Free’s 14th Annual Freedom Gala, the answer was clear: every person is priceless.
On Saturday, September 20th, at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, more than 500 community leaders, philanthropists, business owners, and abolitionists joined forces to declare that dignity is not for sale. Their response was powerful: over $1.5 million raised to fight human trafficking and exploitation worldwide, Atlas Free’s most successful Freedom Gala to date.
“The United Nations estimated that traffickers rake in $236 billion a year from putting a price on human dignity. To be clear, that is more than the combined net profits of Disney, Walmart, Exxon, Amazon, and Apple. Selling human bodies and labor is big business, and it comes at a price,” said Ambassador John Richmond, Atlas Free’s Chief Impact Officer, Former U.S. Ambassador to Combat Trafficking.
“Tonight is not just a declaration to [survivors of trafficking], it’s also a declaration to the traffickers who exploit them and the men who purchase them. We are coming for you,” said Jeremy Vallerand, Atlas Free’s CEO & President. “Every year, across the Atlas Free Network, we are seeing more cases filed against traffickers and perpetrators. And their sentences are growing. First, it was small wins. A guilty verdict with a short prison sentence. Now we are seeing sentences of 20 years or more. We are seeing traffickers wake up to the harsh reality that they can be held accountable . . . For freedom to flourish, perpetrators must be held accountable.”
Guests had the opportunity to hear from Anjali Tamang, a survivor advocate and leader from Nepal, as she received the 2025 Atlas Free Equiano Award for her leadership. Tamang shared her personal journey from victim to survivor to advocate, inspiring the audience with her resilience.
The Freedom Gala’s theme, Price to Priceless, invited guests to imagine a different world: one where people are not bought and sold, but honored, protected, and free. The night was a chance for attendees to hear directly from survivors, invest in the mission of fighting trafficking, and stand together in solidarity to hold traffickers accountable, bring healing to survivors, and prevent future exploitation.
About Atlas Free
Atlas Free leads a global network of over 100 organizations across more than 40 countries, attacking trafficking from every angle with perpetrator accountability, survivor care, targeted prevention, and policy and advocacy. An average of eight survivors are set free from human trafficking every 24 hours because of the Atlas Free Network. Together with their community of supporters, Atlas Free has impacted over one million lives and is building a world where traffickers are held accountable and those in exploitation have a pathway to freedom.
Contact: Makenna Hatloe
888-388-1811
atlasfree.org
