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What is Human Trafficking? |
 Human Trafficking: The Definition
Human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons (TIP), is the modern-day
practice of slavery. It is a crime under federal and international law. It is also
a crime in many US states.
- Federal Law
- Under US federal law, “severe forms of trafficking in persons,” includes:
- Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act,
in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not
attained 18 years of age, (22 USC § 7102; 8 CFR § 214.11(a)). - Labor trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of
force, fraud, or coercion for the purposes of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery, (22 USC § 7102). - For more information, go to Key Federal Laws.
- State Law
- Human trafficking is a crime in many states in the US. Go to State Laws.
- International Law
- Human Trafficking is also a crime under international law. The United Nations defines human trafficking as
- The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, or the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability, or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs, (Article 3, paragraph (a)).
- See the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act
- The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 is the primary US law on trafficking in persons. It was reauthorized in 2003, 2005 and 2008. For more information, go to Key Federal Laws.
Human Trafficking Statistics
- Due to the covert nature of the crime and high levels of under-reporting, the total number of victims of human trafficking within the US is largely unknown. However, a range of estimates has been released by some government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and others. For more information, go to HT Statistics.
Who are the victims?
- There is not one consistent face of a trafficking victim. Trafficked persons in the US can be rich or poor, men or women, adults or children, foreign nationals or US citizens. Some are well-educated, while others have no formal education.
- While anyone can become a victim of trafficking, certain populations are especially vulnerable. These may include: undocumented migrants; runaways, homeless and at-risk youth; and oppressed, marginalized, and/or impoverished groups and individuals. Traffickers specifically target individuals in these populations because they are vulnerable to recruitment tactics and methods of control.
- Undocumented immigrants in the US are highly vulnerable due to a combination of factors, including: lack of legal status and protections, language barriers, limited employment options, poverty and immigration-related debts, and social isolation. They are often victimized by traffickers from a similar ethnic or national background, on whom they may be dependent for employment or a means of support.
For more information on human trafficking, go to Information and Resources.
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What is Human Trafficking?
