Trafficking
in Persons Information
What
is trafficking in persons?
Reporting Trafficking Crimes
~ Department
Statements
Policy,
Prosecution,
Protections,
Prevention
~ Related Links
President George W. Bush Announces Initiatives to Combat Human Trafficking 
Anti-Trafficking
News Bulletin
Report
trafficking crimes or get help by calling the toll-free hotline
1-888-428-7581 (voice and TTY).
Para registrar su queja o obtener ayuda, llame gratis a
1-888-428-7581 (linea directa y de TTY para personas
con incapacidad auditiva)
"Trafficking
is a transnational criminal enterprise. It recognizes neither boundaries
nor borders. Profits from trafficking feed into the coffers of organized
crime. Trafficking is fueled by other criminal activities such as document
fraud, money laundering and migrant smuggling. Because trafficking cases
are expansive in reach, they are among the most important matters - as
well as the most labor and time-intensive matters - undertaken by the
Department of Justice."
(Remarks
of Attorney General John Ashcroft, 2/25/03)
What
is trafficking in persons?
Trafficking
in persons — also known as "human trafficking" — is a form
of modern-day slavery. Traffickers often prey on individuals who are
poor, frequently unemployed or underemployed, and who may lack access
to social safety nets, predominantly women and children in certain countries.
Victims are often lured with false promises of good jobs and better
lives, and then forced to work under brutal and inhuman conditions.
It
is a high priority of the Department of Justice to pursue and prosecute
human traffickers. Human trafficking frequently involves the trafficking
of women and children for sexual exploitation, a brutal crime the Department
is committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting. Trafficking
also often involves exploitation of agricultural and sweat shop workers,
as well as individuals working as domestic servants.
The
Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution outlaws slavery and involuntary
servitude. The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of
2000 (VTVPA) supplements existing laws and establishes new tools and
resources to combat trafficking in persons and to provide services and
protections for victims.
Victims of Trafficking and
Violence Protection Act of 2000: Highlights of New Statute
Assessment
of U.S. Activities to Combat Trafficking in Persons (June 2004)
Reporting
Trafficking Crimes
You
can report trafficking crimes or get help by calling the Trafficking
in Persons and Worker Exploitation Task Force Complaint Line at 1-888-428-7581
(voice and TTY). New laws provide options for trafficking victims regardless
of immigration status. Operators have access to interpreters and can
talk with callers in their own language. The service is offered on weekdays
from 9 AM to 5 PM EST. After these hours, information is available on
tape in English, Spanish, Russian, and Mandarin.
You
can also report suspected instances of trafficking or worker exploitation,
by contacting the FBI
field office nearest you.
Department
Public Statements
Attorney
General:
Assistant
Attorney General, Civil Rights Division:
Policy
The
Trafficking in Persons and Worker Exploitation
Task Force (TPWETF) was established to provide a coordinated, government-wide
effort to prevent trafficking in persons and worker exploitation throughout
the United States. The Task Force is co-chaired by the Assistant Attorney
General, Civil Rights Division, and by the Solicitor of the Department
of Labor, and includes other federal agencies that encounter worker
issues.
Resources
New Human Trafficking Initiative: Model State Trafficking Law
PDF Version
WordPerfect Version
Information for Victims of Trafficking in Persons and Forced Labor
(Brochure)
HTML Version
Adobe
Acrobat PDF Version
Provides basic information about the rights of victims of trafficking
in the United States and describes assistance and protection that
may be available. Provided by law enforcement agents to trafficking
victims whom they encounter. (Also available in other languages upon
request)
Trafficking in Persons: A Guide for Non-governmental Organizations
(Brochure)
HTML
Version Adobe
Acrobat PDF Version
Intended as a reference guide for service providers and other community-based
organizations helping trafficking victims.
Human Trafficking is Illegal: Say NO To Modern Day Slavery
(Poster)
HTML
Version Adobe
Acrobat PDF Version
(Also available in Spanish)
Coming Together to Combat Modern-Day Slavery (Fact sheet)
HTML
Version Adobe
Acrobat PDF Version
National Worker Exploitation Task Force Letter to Advocacy Organizations
and Service Providers, January 2001
HTML
Version Adobe
Acrobat PDF Version
Multiple copies of these documents, including a Rolodex card with
the TPWETF complaint line, are available by contacting the TPWETF
Complaint Line at 1-888-428-7581.
Prosecution
The Civil Rights Division's Criminal
Section has the primary enforcement responsibility for the involuntary
servitude and peonage statutes. It works closely with the FBI,
U.S. Attorneys Offices, and the Criminal
Division's Child Exploitation and
Obscenity Section to investigate and prosecute cases of trafficking
in persons and worker exploitation. The Civil Rights Division also funds
and staffs the national complaint line for reporting trafficking crimes.
Cases
District Man Pleads Guilty to Running Child Sex Trafficking and Internet
Prostitution Business Out of Northeast Washington Residence (6/23/004)
Federal Court Awards Over $100,000 to Victims of Human Trafficking
(5/05/04)
Indictment
in Alien Harboring Case (03/23/04)
Florida Man Sentenced on Human Trafficking-Related Charges (3/02/04)
Justice Department Announces Sentencing in South Texas Human Trafficking
and Sex Slavery Prosecution (1/29/04)
Three Brothers Indicted for Human Trafficking (1/27/04)
Timothy
Bradley and Kate O'Dell Sentenced to More than Five Years for Civil
Rights and Fraud Crimes (1/16/04)
Maryland
Couple Sentenced for Forced Labor (1/9/04)
Mexican
Nationals Operating a Brothel Sentenced for Human Trafficking
(12/19/03)
Maryland
Couple Charged by Grand Jury with Enslaving Juvenile Girl (11/12/03)
"Madams"
Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for Forcing Mexican Teens into Prostitution
in N.J. (8/07/03)
Garment Factory Owner
Convicted in Largest Ever Human Trafficking Case Prosecuted by the
Department of Justice (2/21/03)
Statutes
Trafficking
Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003
Trafficking
Victims Protection Act of 2000
Title 18, U.S.C. §§ 1581, 1584 Involuntary
Servitude and Peonage
Protections
for Victims
Victim
Services
The
Office for Victims of Crime
(OVC) offers victim support, protection services, prosecutorial and
law enforcement strategies, and education resources to trafficking victims
and victim service providers. See the OVC's topical
resources page on Trafficking in Persons for more information.
OVC
also offers funding to provide direct services to victims of trafficking
under programs like the Trafficking Victims Protection Act Grant Program.
Victim
advocates and caregivers can contact OVC's Resource
Center to find out about publications and tools that may be available
to assist them in working with trafficking victims. Ask for assistance
by calling (800) 627-6872 or (877) 712-9279 (TTY).
The Office of Special Counsel for Unfair
Immigration-Related Employment Practices (OSC) in the Civil Rights
Division provides assistance to individuals who allege they were rejected
for employment or fired because of their immigration status or type
of work authorization. The protections pertain to victims of trafficking
who may receive employment authorization documents under the TVPA. OSC
maintains a toll free information number and worker hotline: 1-800-255-7688
or 1-800-237-2515 (TDD for hearing impaired).
Oficina
del Consejero Especial para Practicas Injustas Relacionadas a La Condicion
de Immigrante (OSC) En Espaņol.
Technical
Assistance
The Office
on Violence Against Women (OVW) provides grants and technical assistance
to federal, state and local officials to help them respond to the needs
and concerns of women who have been victimized by violence, and to develop
effective criminal justice responses to violent crimes committed against
women.
OVW
also provides grants, publications, and leadership on legal and policy
issues regarding violence against women, including trafficking
in persons and worker exploitation.
Toolkit
to End Violence Against Women "Chapter 16: The United States Within
the International Community: Responding to Trafficking in Persons"
HTML
Version Adobe
Acrobat PDF Version
Prevention
Through Outreach and Research
Outreach
The
Executive Office for United States Attorneys' Office
of Legal Education (OLE) offers a course
in Human Trafficking and Worker Exploitation to Justice attorneys
and agency investigators involved in investigations and litigation in
the area of worker exploitation. OLE also provides training on the Trafficking
Victims Protection Act to victim witness coordinators in federal law
enforcement agencies.
Prosecutors and other Justice Department personnel frequently assist
in training local law enforcement agencies, non-governmental organizations,
and international representatives both in the United States and overseas
on human trafficking issues.
The FBI provides technical assistance
and support to the Southeast
European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) established in 1999 to prevent
and combat trans-border crime, including trafficking in human beings,
especially women and children, for purposes of forced prostitution.
The original participating countries include Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia,
and Turkey.
Research
The National
Institute of Justice International Center supports research and
exchange of information on international
trafficking activities by offering grants for academic research
into the subjects of trafficking in persons and child exploitation.
The National Criminal Justice
Reference Service (NCJRS) in the Office
of Justice Programs offers information to support research, policy,
and program development worldwide on various criminal justice issues,
including international trafficking.
NCJRS
list of publications about International Trafficking
Related Links
White House
Trafficking
in Persons National Security Presidential Directive (2/25/03)
Department of Health and Human Services
The Office
of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) provides victims of severe forms of
trafficking certifications (for those eighteen and older) and determinations
(for minors) which enable these victims to receive certain benefits
and services to the same extent as refugees. In addition, ORR provides
grant funding to several non-governmental organizations and service
providers who offer direct assistance to victims of trafficking upon
their certification. ORR has a toll-free trafficking victim verification.
phone line. The toll-free number is 1 (866) 401-5510.
The Unaccompanied
Refugee Minor Program is available to provide assistance to juvenile
victims of trafficking.
Department of Homeland Security
The Bureau
of Citizenship and Immigration Services maintains a web site that
includes information on human trafficking laws and regulations, manuals,
guidance, training materials, and immigration forms and applications
(including the T and U visas).
The Bureau
of Immigration and Customs Enforcement also has jurisdiction to
investigate incidents of human trafficking.
Department of Labor
The Wage
and Hour Division is responsible for enforcing the Fair Labor Standards
Act and other labor laws. If you think your rights have been violated,
you can file a complaint with the Wage and Hour Division by dialing
a toll-free help line at (866)-487-9243. It is illegal for an employer
to intimidate, threaten, fire, or in any other manner discriminate against
a worker for filing a complaint.
For help in finding a job, victims can obtain free services from career
centers — called One-Stop Career Centers — in communities
all over the United States. Staff at these centers will be able to identify
the victim's specific educational, vocational and social service needs
that will enable them to become job-ready. To obtain information about
the nearest center, call (877)-USA-JOBS. The information is also available
on-line through America's
Service Locator. DOL also sponsors Job
Corps, a program in which human trafficking victims ages 16-24 may
be eligible to participate.
Department of State
The Office
to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons provides the tools
to combat trafficking in persons, and assists in the coordination of
anti-trafficking efforts both worldwide and domestically. The annual
Trafficking
in Persons Report (June 2004) details international and U.S. efforts
to end trafficking in persons.
The International Information Programs Global
Issues: Human Trafficking page includes fact sheets, reports, and
details of international initiatives to combat trafficking in persons.
The Bureau
of Diplomatic Security also conducts criminal investigations of
human trafficking violations in which visa fraud may be involved.
United Nations
The Global
Programme against Trafficking in Human Beings (GPAT) assists Member
States in their efforts to combat trafficking in human beings. It highlights
the involvement of organized criminal groups in human trafficking and
promotes the development of effective ways to crack down on perpetrators.
Last
Updated:
09/29/2004
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