David Batstone, national director of the Not for Sale Campaign Against Human Trafficking, became an abolitionist after learning about a human-trafficking incident in his home state of California. A passerby noticed individuals carrying a girl from an apartment and called 911, according to Batstone's book "Not For Sale."

Police investigated and discovered the a restaurant owner trafficked hundreds of adults and children into the United States under the guise of placing them in a software company, according to Batstone. They ended up working at the Indian restaurant or other businesses. He threatened to turn them in to the authorities as illegal aliens if they tried to escape.