Human Trafficking Victims Protection Act

Human trafficking is a prominent problem within the United States that is often overlooked. The definition of human trafficking is, “Human trafficking - the illegal practice of procuring or trading in human beings for the purpose of prostitution, forced labor, or other forms of exploitation” (“Human trafficking”). People in the United States believe that human trafficking is a problem that occurs in other less developed countries compared to the United States. What these individuals do not realize is that human trafficking occurs on American soil contrary to popular belief. The United States is one of the top three destination countries of human trafficking and human trafficking is a top criminal enterprise across the world (“WEAVE, Inc.”).

In the year 2000, the trafficking victim protection act (TVPA) was passed by the U.S. Congress. This law “ criminalizes the forced or deceptive movement of people into exploitative conditions of labor and provides services to victims. This law makes a symbolic distinction (although it holds no legal meaning) between “sex” and “non-sex” trafficking” (Peters, 2013). At the same time in the international community, the Trafficking Protocol was adopted. This protocol

This past year in the United States, there were an estimated 21,431 calls made to authorities concerning potential human trafficking situations and yet, the average American does not know that forced labor and prostitution is even a problem. (Melissa) Second to drug dealing, human trafficking is the largest criminal industry in the world today, and is growing fast. (Human Trafficking – Exploitation…) This modern day form of slavery takes victims captive against their will by using violence, threats, deception and other manipulative tricks. Even though each trafficking target has a different story, they all have similar experiences because they lose their freedom. In the United States, the First amendment protects all people citizens or aliens with basic freedoms. Therefore, human trafficking goes against ones American civil rights; human trafficking is major issue in the USA that needs to be stopped.

Traffickers continue to be in this cruelest method of oppression because human trafficking remains highly lucrative. The United States efficiently fight against the global as well as the country’s slavery by providing legal protection and post psychological development to the victims. This modern human right issue in the United States was made illegal when it passed the Trafficking Protection Act (TVPA) in October 2000, and later under reauthorization, Congress established a private right of action for victims of human trafficking into or within the United States to bring a civil action against their perpetrators. It is designed to combat human trafficking in America and abroad and through it, human trafficking victims qualify for governmental protection and services (Pierce). This enables the victims to sue and collect damages from

Situation: Every year in the United States, there are an estimated 14,000- 17,500 people trafficked across our boarders. The issues of international human trafficking have only recently been brought to light as an increasing problem within the United States. The department of homeland security, which consists of many branches such as Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S Coast Guard, are some of the top combating agencies against human trafficking. With the rise of the amount of victims estimated to be trafficked into the U.S each year, there is much more that needs to be done in order to better address the issue.

Through reports from two different states – California, and Florida, I further analyzed the efficacy of the TVPA and if it has been a strong foundation in combatting human trafficking.

Furthermore, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 was best known for providing the framework to respond to human trafficking (Feldman, 2011). Likewise, it also helped for the redesigning of the laws in the United States by making sex trafficking an individual crime and allowing the government to focus on the victims. Even though this law has been reauthorized in 3 years the latest time, 2008, is the one that actually strengthens protections for the victims as well as, improves the protections for the victims. While this law already helped to develop people to prohibit the crime, the reauthorization of it, created a new set of criminal tools to reach unscrupulous labor recruiters (Feldman, 2011). Although the revisions of this law

Under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) and Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003 (TVPRA) trafficking victims may receive services that are similar to those of refugees. These benefits and services are federally funded and the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement must certify individuals as trafficking victims. In addition to federal program benefits under TVPRA, there is a state-funded program for trafficking victims who have not yet been certified by ORR. Senate Bill 1569 (Chapter 672, Statutes of 2006) extended eligibility for benefits and services to non-certified victims of human trafficking (Human Trafficking. (n.d.).http://www.cdss.ca.gov/refugeeprogram/PG1268.htm). One of the problems however,

There have been many federal laws that have been developed in the United States due to the problem being more prominent and recognized in the United States. One of the laws in the beginning that helped with combating human trafficking was the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, which the federal law of human trafficking is based on. The Trafficking Victims Protect Act of 2000 states that developed techniques to prosecute human traffickers, stopping human trafficking, and ways to shield the victims of human trafficking, as well as way to survive being involved in human trafficking. This act was developed so that the crimes of human trafficking could be considered a federal crime, so as a result could have harsher penalties to the human

Today, building on the strong record of the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and its member agencies, the President is announcing several initiatives” (fact sheet 1). It is also stated that, “President Obama is committed to protecting vulnerable individuals as government contractors and subcontractors perform vital services and manufacture goods procured by the United States. As the largest single purchaser of goods and services in the world, the U.S. Government has a responsibility to combat human trafficking at home and abroad, and to ensure American tax dollars do not contribute to this affront to human dignity” (fact sheet 2). Though actions were being taken by U.S. diplomacy to combat human trafficking it was during this time that criticisms

Despite the government’s efforts to end human trade by creating organizations like Salvation Army and acts trying to prevent it, they have yet to succeed. One of the main causes of sex trafficking is the inability of the government to establish beneficial ways to prevent such an awful crime happening in the United States. The government should be focused on this problem until it is solved. Innocent people and children are getting abused and he government has failed to put a stop to it. Creating acts and strengthening the consequences is clearly not enough, they need to do more. As Jonathan Todres claims in his article Taking Prevention Seriously the government has put prevention on the back burner. The United State is a country that other

The policy this paper will address is the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA) and its many Reauthorization Acts. It was passed in 2000, and was reauthorized in 2003, 2005, and 2008. The main purpose of this policy is to address the needs of individuals who have been trafficked and is the policy around which all human trafficking legislation is based. The act “established several methods of prosecuting traffickers, preventing human trafficking, and protecting victims and survivors of trafficking” (Current Federal Laws 2016). Overall, it really attempts to combat any type of human trafficking and support victims and punish the perpetrators of this awful crime.

This policy was monumental in the fight of human trafficking because it formalized the overall U.S. policies through an emphasis on prevention of severe forms of human trafficking, prosecution of traffickers, and protection of victims both domestically and internationally. The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003 amended the TVPA of 2000, which directed the President to launch programs of border interdiction outside the United States by providing grants to foreign NGOs that provide for transit shelters functioning at key border crossings. Border guards, officials, and other law enforcement officials are educated and trained to (1) identify traffickers and victims of severe forms of trafficking; (2) treat victims appropriately;

Today, we have more victims of human trafficking than ever before. How can that be? Do we not have international legislation and organizations to prevent us from making the same mistakes that were made in the past? The population continues to steadily increase and works in combination with globalization to feed the booming industry of exploiting people. Human trafficking has been a part of most cultures, sometimes lurking in the shadows, other times out and proud; however, its rapid advancement is not inevitable. Thus far, no nation or organization has been able to develop an effective criminal justice response. Developed nations, such as the United States have to take the lead in cultivating legislation and enforcement in order to stop human trafficking in its tracks. If the countries who hold great global power communicate properly and work

Many Americans remain ignorant of human trafficking within the United States, believing that this inhumane act only occurs in third-world countries. No one likes to believe that it can be happening in our own country let alone in some of our own states and cities. Society rarely takes the time to understand these women and what lead them into trafficking and what factors contributed to them staying in trafficking. This study seeks to voice the ability to raise awareness, enhance penalties for the traffickers/violator’s, and offer rehabilitation for the victims.