A report from Vice this week stated that practices of the anti-human trafficking group with ties to Utah, Operation Underground Railroad, may actually increase demand for child trafficking.
According to the report, the organization’s founder, Tim Ballard, and the people recruited to go on rescue missions often do not have the skills and experience the organization says they have. And while Ballard has said that his organization works with local law enforcement and other organizations, representatives from such groups in places like Thailand told Vice they haven’t interacted with the group.
This is the second piece in the past year from Vice examining concerns with the work of Operation Underground Railroad and comes as the group is under ongoing investigation by the Davis County attorney general. People familiar with the investigation say it is for misleading statements in its fundraising appeals.
