DeliverFund Founder and CEO Nic McKinley testifying on protecting Ukrainian refugees from human trafficking at Helsinki Commission hearing

• DeliverFund is currently conducting counter human trafficking operations in Ukraine
• The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (aka Helsinki Commission) hearing "Protecting Ukrainian Refugees from Human Trafficking" is today, April 7, 10:30 a.m. (Eastern)

DALLAS, April 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DeliverFund, a Dallas-based nonprofit intelligence organization that leverages cutting-edge technology in the fight against human trafficking, announced that its Co-founder and CEO Nic McKinley has been asked to testify at the Helsinki Commission hearing today, April 7.

DeliverFund, which has been a major force in combatting human trafficking operations across the United States, has also been operating around the world as catastrophic events lead to civilian desperation that creates opportunities for human traffickers to move in, such as with Afghanistan in late 2021 and now with the Russia-Ukraine war. The organization was an early entrant into Ukraine to try to get a jump on human trafficking efforts.

"Any set of circumstances that creates refugees also creates opportunities for human traffickers," said McKinley. "Human trafficking thrives when people find themselves in vulnerable situations, and human traffickers are experts at exploiting vulnerable populations. So, we are actively working with our international partners to prevent the trafficking of Ukrainian orphans, unaccompanied children, and other highly vulnerable refugees."

McKinley will be on a panel with Ms. Tatiana Kotlyarenko, Anti-Trafficking Advisor, OSCE office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights; and Mr. Mykola Kuleba, Director of Save Ukraine and former Presidential Commissioner for Human Rights. Dr. Kari Johnstone, Senior Official, U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, will be testifying separately.

Already a leader in leveraging cutting-edge technology to identify human traffickers and their networks, McKinley noted that DeliverFund has developed and is fielding technology that helps track human trafficking activity that originates in Ukraine and surrounding countries. Even with fast-changing situations in the fighting, McKinley said the one certainty is that human trafficking is taking place, and will continue unless the international community continues to take active steps to prevent it.

The hearing begins at 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 562. Interested parties can also access it live on YouTube, www.youtube.com/HelsinkiCommission and read the Commission's press release at https://www.csce.gov/international-impact/press-and-media/press-releases/protecting-ukrainian-refugees-human-trafficking.

About DeliverFund

Dallas-based DeliverFund is a nonprofit intelligence organization that leverages cutting-edge technology to equip, train, and advise law enforcement, prosecutors, and policy makers to effectively fight human trafficking in the United States. It's International Human Trafficking Analysis Center (iHTAC) serves as the central all-source, shared knowledge bank on trafficking activity, human traffickers and their networks, and is the central dissemination and deconfliction point for law enforcement, select nonprofits and other professionals working to end modern-day slavery. The 501(c)3 organization was founded by veterans from the military special operations, intelligence, and data security fields who saw an opportunity to apply those skill-sets to fight human trafficking. You can learn more about DeliverFund by visiting  https://deliverfund.org.

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SOURCE DeliverFund