*EPF304 05/12/2004
Fact Sheet: U.S. Committed to Fighting Human Trafficking Inside the United States
(Accomplishments in preventing trafficking in persons) (1380)

According to U.S. government estimates, about 800,000 to 900,000 men, women and children are trafficked each year across international borders worldwide for sex and other types of slave labor; approximately 18,000 to 20,000 of those victims are trafficked into the United States itself.

In 2003, the U.S. government devoted nearly $74 million to combat the worldwide trafficking in human beings, but the United States is equally committed to combating trafficking inside its borders.

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U.S. Laws

The keystone of the U.S. government's response to modern day slavery is the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), enacted into law in October 2000. Designed to intensify the fight against trafficking and increase penalties, the TVPA requires federal agencies to combat trafficking domestically and to work with other nations to address this problem internationally.

The President reaffirmed the administration's commitment to this issue when he signed the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act in December 2003.

The TVPA declares trafficking to be a crime and calls on the U.S. government to prosecute and punish traffickers, protect and rehabilitate the victims, and prevent these criminal activities.

Victims of trafficking may apply for a T Visa if they are physically present in the U.S. on account of the trafficking, have complied with any reasonable request for assistance in the investigation or prosecution of the acts of trafficking, and would suffer extreme hardship involving unusual and severe harm upon removal from the U.S. Victims are entitled to privacy, physical protection, and other forms of assistance while their cases are prosecuted.

On December 16, 2002, President George W. Bush endorsed the goals of the TVPA by signing National Security Presidential Directive 22, in which he directs federal agencies to "strengthen their collective efforts, capabilities, and coordination to support the policy to combat trafficking in persons." This directive also identifies prostitution as inherently harmful to women.

To confront the evil of sex tourism, especially involving children, in 2003, the U.S. Congress passed the "Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today (PROTECT) Act." Under the "PROTECT Act," it is now a crime for any person to enter the United States, or for a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident to travel abroad, to sexually abuse children.

The President's Interagency Task Force oversees U.S. anti-trafficking policies and programs. The Task Force is chaired by the Secretary of State and its directives are implemented by the Senior Policy Operating Group, which consists of high-ranking federal government officials from ten agencies and departments. The task force and the operating group ensure that all aspects of the fight against trafficking are addressed by the appropriate government agencies.

Key U.S. Government Agencies

The Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security have responsibility for fighting traffickers and assisting victims within the United States.

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ): Justice Department attorneys ���� led by the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division ���� prosecute cases against traffickers and provide training regarding the new anti-trafficking law. Hundreds of victims of severe forms of forced labor and sexual exploitation have been successfully rescued; their traffickers have been prosecuted and convicted through Justice Department efforts.

In January 2004, Attorney General John Ashcroft observed that there was a sharp increase in the criminal prosecution of human traffickers in the United States in the last three fiscal years. Specifically:

-- DOJ charged 111 traffickers����a three-fold increase over the previous three years. Of these, 79 included sex-trafficking allegations, the highest ever.

-- DOJ convicted or obtained guilty pleas from 77 defendants, an increase of more than 50 percent over the previous three years. Of these, 59 defendants were found guilty of sex-trafficking charges.

-- DOJ opened 21 new investigations, more than double the number opened in the previous three years. As of January 28, 2004, the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division had opened 142 trafficking investigations, more than twice the number open in January 2001.

Another element of the Department of Justice, 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.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): HHS is responsible for certifying that a person is a trafficking victim and therefore eligible for temporary housing, legal assistance, educational opportunities, mental health counseling, foster child care, and other benefits. These programs are implemented by states and by dozens of non-government organizations (NGOs) with the assistance of HHS. In some situations, a person may have been identified by law enforcement officials as a potential victim but not yet "certified" by HHS. To help these persons and to gain their assistance in prosecuting traffickers, the Department of Justice provides grants to NGOs to extend similar assistance to victims who are identified by law enforcement but are not yet certified.

HHS has launched an anti-trafficking public awareness campaign with two goals: to create conditions under which victims will feel safe in identifying themselves because they know they will be protected and there are programs designed to help them; and to reach those who are likely to encounter trafficking victims and enlist their help in freeing the victims and cracking down on the traffickers. Specifically:

-- HHS sponsors a hotline (888-373-7888 run by the Covenant House) to advise callers who have encountered victims of human trafficking and to identify local resources available in their community to help victims.

-- Extensive information on what constitutes human trafficking, the patterns of the crime, and the legal assistance available to all victims is outlined on a new HHS website: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/

-- A public service television announcement, shared by HHS and the
United Nations, will be aired to increase public awareness regarding trafficking on a national level, and to publicize the hotline.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS): DHS's Bureau for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is responsible for the enforcement of federal immigration laws and the investigation of human smuggling, trafficking in persons, and child exploitation offenses.

ICE has stepped up trafficking investigations. In January, a man in McAllen, Texas who headed a sex slavery ring was sentenced to 23 years in prison. Last summer in New Jersey, ICE uncovered a prostitution ring that trafficked Mexican girls, who were lured to the U.S. only to be forced into sexual slavery. In New York City, ICE investigators uncovered a trafficking network that recruited South Korean women, promising them jobs as hostesses but forcing them to work as prostitutes.

In 2003, DHS launched Operation Predator, a program to target child predators. In the first eight months of its existence, the program has successfully:

-- Taken off the streets of America more than 2,000 child predators and sex offenders;

-- Initiated the largest-ever investigation into online pornography;

-- Affected the first-ever arrests of American sex tourists traveling to foreign countries seeking to engage in sex with minors;

-- Worked to create a database to aid local, state, federal and international law enforcement efforts in identifying victims of child exploitation.

DHS's Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is responsible for issuing Continued Presence and T-visas to trafficking victims. Since the inception of the programs in 2002, USCIS has issued Continued Presence to 410 victims and has granted T non-immigrant status to 371 trafficking victims.

Useful links:

The White House, Human Trafficking Fact Sheet, March 2004
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/03/20040318-8.html

The White House, Trafficking in Persons National Security Presidential Directive, February 2003
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030225.html

U.S. Department of Justice, Trafficking in Persons Information,
http://www.usdoj.gov/trafficking.htm

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau for Immigration and Customs
Enforcement
http://www.ice.gov/graphics/index.htm

U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/

U.S. Department of State, Assessment of U.S. Activities to Combat Trafficking in Persons
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/rpt/23495.htm

U.S. Department of State, International Information Programs, Human Trafficking
http://usinfo.state.gov/gi/global_issues/human_trafficking.html

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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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