Who we are
AboutAn initiative founded to
Do Things Differently
Our History
Bruce Ladebu spent his early years as a professional adventurer, explorer, guide, and instructor. While traveling through the newly formed ex-Soviet countries in 1993, he learned about human trafficking. Later, Bruce went underground in Eastern Europe to investigate further. What he found was disturbing and beyond his ability to comprehend. Finally, in 2009, Bruce was taken to slave fields in western Asia where he witnessed countless people working in hard labor. Before the end of the day, he rescued his first child.
Soon after returning to the US, Bruce knew it was his lifelong mission to rescue children and adults from labor slavery and sex trafficking. To pursue that mission, he founded Children’s Rescue Initiative.
Children’s Rescue Initiative (CRI) is more than an awareness campaign; it’s a movement actively fighting the human trafficking epidemic. Over the past 10 years, CRI’s highly skilled rescue teams have relentlessly fought for freedom – having rescued victims from around the world and supported them on the road to freedom.
million people are enslaved worldwide. That's more than ever before in human history.
Million people in forced labor
Million people in forced marriage
Million people in forced sexual exploitation
* Please note: the above stats are estimates provided by the International Labour Organization.
How We Continue
To Fight
Our founder, Bruce, has relentlessly developed the organizational model to RESCUE, RESTORE and RAISE UP victims of human trafficking. This model sees the enslaved freed, the freed restored, and the restored raised up to a new and successful life.
Our mission is for the cycle of freedom to operate in such a way that when one victim is rescued, they influence the world by being the next generation of advocates against slavery.
As our team members travel the world, actively accomplishing the RESCUE, RESTORE, RAISE UP strategy, CRI ensures distinctive impact and success through the diligent selection and world-class training of each member.
United by a foundational passion to free victims of human trafficking, our CRI team and strategic partners pull on their extensive experience, networks, and diverse spectrum of skills and resources that lend to the success of each individual pillar.
Are you called to join the fight?
