A new AI tool called Sarah is designed to help survivors of human trafficking find safe jobs and avoid being trafficked again. The International Rescue Committee, based in New York, launched the tool in partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Sarah is not a general career coach. It uses trauma informed language and structured workflows built on the IRC's expertise in protection and support.
A digital companion for a critical two year window
Human trafficking affects an estimated 50 million people worldwide and is one of the fastest growing crimes globally. Existing services offer short term help, but survivors often face major barriers to finding stable, safe employment. The risk of being trafficked again is highest during the two years after escaping trafficking. Sarah is designed to support survivors during that vulnerable period. The tool guides users through multi step chat based workflows focused on employment readiness. It helps users identify their strengths, build skills, prepare resumes, practice for interviews, search for jobs, and find training opportunities. Sarah can also analyze employment contracts for signs of exploitation.
How Sarah works and who built it
Sarah operates inside the IRC's Anti Trafficking Response platform, a secure digital environment available 24/7 through a web browser. The platform already includes two AI powered chatbots that provide trusted information in a safe, anonymous way. Sarah is an agentic AI system, meaning it carries context across multiple steps rather than just answering single questions. It is designed for users who may not have completed formal schooling or held traditional jobs. The tool complements human support services, not replaces them. The IRC led the design and development, working closely with experts from HPE Labs and HPE's technology advisory team. Those teams helped with architecture design, privacy protections, and oversight mechanisms. They also refined system prompts and response logic to reduce the risk of unsafe or misleading outputs. The system is continuously monitored, tested, and updated based on user feedback.
Why local communities and advocates care
For communities that work with trafficking survivors, the challenge of re trafficking is urgent and persistent. Survivors often struggle to find work that is safe and stable, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation again. Sarah offers a way to scale support beyond what traditional services can provide. The tool reaches more people faster with tailored, survivor centered solutions. It is not meant to replace caseworkers or counselors. Instead, it gives survivors a private, judgment free way to build skills and search for jobs at their own pace. The IRC and HPE have built in clear limitations and monitoring systems to maintain quality and reduce bias. The partnership shows how responsible AI can be applied to a complex humanitarian problem without losing the human element.
