Ashton Kutcher Testifies On His Human Trafficking Efforts

Ashton Kutcher Testifies On His Human Trafficking Efforts

Jocelyn Reeder, reporter

On Wednesday morning of February 15, Ashton Kutcher went to Capital Hill and appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a hearing process about modern slavery. He spoke on behave of Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children, an organization he co-founded with ex Demi Moore in 2009. This builds software to fight human trafficking.

In Kutcher’s testimony, he pressed on the importance of using technology as a tool that can be used to disable slavery. According to CNN, Kutcher stated, “It’s working. In six months, with 25% of our users reporting, we’ve identified over 6,000 trafficking victims, 2,000 of which are minors. This tool has enhanced 4,000 law enforcement officials in 900 agenices. And we are reducing the investigation time by 60%.” The tool Ashton Kutcher and many other people use is called Spotlight. Kutcher also stated, “Another tool called “Solis” has taken investigation times from dark web material from three years ago to three weeks.”

In his speech, Ashton called for specific actions, including additional funding for the technology, fostering public – private sector relationships, and looking into the pipeline for victims. He also stated that we should continue working in the foster care system and mental health system.

According to CNN, the Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Corker called Kutcher’s work “inspirational” and “a true testament to entrepreneurialism and people taking a risk toward social good.”

Kutcher stated that he has been working on this for six years with sites like Craigslist and Village Voice, but when one site closes, another one opens.