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)
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 sweatshop 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.
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.
Legislation and Policy
The Department strongly supported passage of the William Wilberforce
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008. Available
at this link is a copy of
the bill and other materials regarding its legislative history.
Thanks.
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.
Protection for Victims
Victim Services
In FY 2003, the Office
for Victims of Crime (OVC) made its first awards to various
nongovernmental organizations for the purpose of providing trafficking
victims with comprehensive or specialized services during the
precertification phase, and for the purpose of providing grantees
with training and technical assistance for program support and
enhancement. OVC funds help victim service providers meet the
challenge of addressing the complex and acute service needs
of trafficking victims through the provision of:
- Comprehensive services: Direct services mobilized by
the grantee organization to meet the range of needs of trafficking
victims. Comprehensive services include addressing the victim's
basic needs for shelter, food, and clothing as well as case
management, information and referral, legal assistance and advocacy,
medical and dental services, mental health assessment and treatment,
job skills training, transportation, and interpretation services.
- Supplemental/specialized services: Direct services quickly
mobilized, over a broad geographic area, in order to provide
a single service such as housing, legal assistance, or medical
care.
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.
Prevention Through Outreach and Research
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 National
Institute of Justice International Center supports research
and exchange of information on 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.
Additional Information about Fighting Trafficking in Persons
For more information about the Department components
that are most active in this area, consult the Civil
Rights Division, Criminal
Division, and the Office
for Victims of Crime Web sites.
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