Atlas Free

A 38-year-old Seattle man, Shante Broady, was sentenced this week to 20 years in prison for five federal felonies connected to his s*x trafficking of a minor and an adult woman. U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour said his sentence was justified by “the violence of events in the case” and was in line with other s*x trafficking sentences.

Broady would use the internet and social media platforms to search for vulnerable children and women, and then would coerce them through false promises of a relationship, protection, and money. Instead, these individuals were met with anger, threats, and violence, including being forced into prostitution and threatened with firearms. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Crisham told the court Broady “is a violent man and a s*xual predator who targets vulnerable young girls.” Broady will be required to register as a s*x offender following his prison term.

S*x trafficking happens in all 50 states, impacting individuals and communities across the country. Advocacy, prevention, intervention, and accountability all matter in this fight.

Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington

Saanvi’s* childhood in India was one of loss from the very beginning. Her mother left one day to beg and never returned. Her father, an alcoholic, handed her older sister off to strangers before disappearing himself. Left in the care of people who were not her family, Saanvi was taken to a red-light area and forced into exploitation at just 10 years old.

At 16, a police raid resulted in Saanvi’s rescue. She was transferred to a government shelter home and eventually came under the care of an Atlas Free Network Member. For the first time, she learned to read and write. She received surgery for a damaged retina, an injury caused by physical abuse, and slowly began to see again, in more ways than one. The Network Member empowered her with employment as an office housekeeper, giving her dignity, purpose, and a place to belong.

Last year, Saanvi got married, surrounded by the found family who walked alongside her healing. And today, Saanvi has a loving husband, a warm community, and a future she once could not have imagined. What was taken from her has been restored, and her story is just beginning.

Join Team Freedom to help the Atlas Free Network bring restoration and hope to more survivors like Saanvi. atlasfree.org/teamfreedom

*Name changed to protect the identity of the survivor.

6 million. That is how many people are expected to attend the 2026 World Cup matches. It is also how many people traffickers have trapped in s*xual exploitation today.

If you can imagine stadiums around the world filled to the brim with fans celebrating a sport, you can start to imagine the scope of the problem of trafficking. While you cheer on your team, consider finding a way to root for justice: join with Atlas Free as we make a difference in millions of lives worthy of freedom and dignity. 

Join the fight to protect the vulnerable at atlasfree.org/human-trafficking

Critical evidence in trafficking cases can be hidden on electronic devices. Finding it can make or break an investigation. A cutting-edge Electronic Detection K9 is now helping law enforcement uncover those devices across 14 counties in Pennsylvania, where no other ED K9 operates, so investigators can locate evidence and move cases forward faster.

Read your impact in our 2025 Annual Report at atlasfree.org/annualreport.