Human trafficking survivors face a cruel paradox: escaping the cycle of exploitation requires legal help, yet legal help is out of reach. ALIGHT exists to close that gap. We connect survivors to a mobilized network of pro bono attorneys who provide the critical legal services needed to overcome barriers that no one should face alone — enabling survivors to build stable, independent lives in our communities.
The harms of human trafficking do not end when a survivor escapes. The legal consequences can linger for years, and untangling them requires professional expertise most survivors cannot access or afford. Child custody disputes, identity theft, damaged credit, criminal records and more all stand between survivors and recovery. Without help resolving these issues, survivors remain vulnerable and at risk of being re-trafficked.
Yet dedicated legal resources for survivors are scarce (the US is a legal desert), and hiring private legal counsel costs thousands of dollars that survivors simply do not have. The legal system, designed to protect people, too often leaves the most vulnerable behind.
ALIGHT (Alliance to Lead Impact in Global Human Trafficking) was founded in 2015 in Denver, Colorado, with a clear mission: ensure survivors have legal power on their side, at no cost to them.
What began in one city has grown into a multi-state movement. ALIGHT now serves survivors across Colorado, Utah and Greater Los Angeles, addressing unmet legal needs at every stage of recovery. Over the past decade, we have supported hundreds of survivors across more than 1,000 legal matters.
ALIGHT’s national network has expanded alongside its impact. We support over 1,400 attorneys in the ALIGHT National Attorney Network, mobilized to provide comprehensive justice to survivors wherever they are. To extend that reach further, ALIGHT co-founded the National Survivor Law Collective, which connects legal resources and partners across the country.
ALIGHT’s approach has earned national recognition from some of the most respected institutions in law, technology and advocacy.
We know there is much more work to be done. Join us to empower more human trafficking survivors on their path forward to the lives we all deserve.
© 2026 ALIGHT. The images used on this website are stock photos and do not represent actual human trafficking survivors. The survivor stories are composites offered for illustrative purposes and represent only a portion of the realities experienced by survivors. While groups and individuals may use different terms when talking about this issue, ALIGHT tends to use "survivor" to affirm the individual's journey forward. We must all be conscious about supporting survivors on their own terms, rather than re-exploiting and re-traumatizing them through our representations and ideas of them.
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