What is human trafficking?
Human trafficking is the illegal trade or transport of human beings through abduction, fraud, coercion, or force. It is estimated that as many as 4 million persons are trafficked each year, both within and across national boundaries. (UNIFEM) While victims of trafficking are exploited in varying ways, it is estimated that 60-70% are sexually exploited. Victims also face forced labor and slavery-like conditions. They are often physically and emotionally abused, held captive, and travel documents taken away.
Women and children are disproportionately affected by trafficking. Ethnic minorities and those living in poverty are also more vulnerable as are persons living in areas of political, economic, or social instability.
Trafficking does not only affect the victims. Public health is also put at risk as victims forced into sex work contact diseases including HIV/AID and because trafficking moves people both within and between national borders it can contribute to diseases reaching new locations. Much like the international drug trade, human trafficking has also given rise to large-scale organized crime. Between 1995-2000 worldwide human trafficking increased roughly 50%. The trade in human beings now makes US$5-7 billion in profits each year. (UNIFEM)
What the US is doing
- US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2005
- Trafficking Victims Protection Act 2000 (TVPA)
- Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Acts of 2003
- Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005
An estimated 14,500-17,500 persons are trafficked into the US each year. Congress passed the above named legislation in an effort to combat this trend through prevention, protection, and prosecution.
The State Department�s yearly Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) provides information on the government�s anti-trafficking actions and assesses the status of other country�s efforts to combat trafficking. The TVPA also permits the use of economic sanctions against governments the US views complicit in trafficking. It also provides additional resources to deal with domestic trafficking issues.
The TVPA also expands the legal protections provided for trafficking victims. A number of temporary residence visas have been allocated for trafficking victims. The number of services available to trafficking victims (regardless of immigration status) has also increased. Additionally, Department of Justice grants are funding NGOs providing assistance to trafficking victims.
What the US isn�t doing:
The United States government continues to deal with human trafficking as a bi-lateral issue, rather than engaging with the international human rights frame work that is designed to protect victims of trafficking. Two of the most important international documents that deal with trafficking are the Convention to Eliminate all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Despite signing CEDAW in 1980 the US has yet to ratify the treaty. Other states that have not ratified CEDAW include: Iran, Sudan, and Qatar. Furthermore, the US remains one of only two UN member states that have not ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the other being Somalia.
Other International Treaties:
- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography
- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the involvement of Children in Armed Conflict
- Convention to Eliminate all forms of Discrimination Against Women
What you can do:
Inform Yourself: A good place to start is the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report. The following links provide also provide extensive information on human trafficking:
- Polaris Project
- Humantrafficking.org
- Women, War, Peace
- UN Office on Drugs and Crime
Inform Others. Share your knowledge with others in your church, community, office, or school. Invite an anti-trafficking organization such as the International Rescue Committee or Humantrafficking.org to speak to your group.
Engage with Government & Civil Society. Advocate for your state to pass anti-trafficking legislation that supports the federal statutes. Click here to see a list of states that have or are in the process of passing such bills.
Get involved with local non-governmental organizations (NGO�s) that are fighting against human trafficking. Click here to see a list of NGO�s that work against trafficking in your state.