The
FBI has stepped up its efforts to disrupt human trafficking operations
worldwide and to free its victims.
Among our initiatives:
 We
work with other local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies
and national victim-based advocacy groups in joint task forces that
combine resources and expertise on the issue. Today, the FBI participates
in approximately 30 law enforcement task forces and approximately 42
Bureau of Justice Assistance-sponsored task forces around the nation.
- Our Victim Specialists
(along with victims specialists from the U.S. Attorney Offices and/or
other non-government victim assistance service providers) work with
human trafficking victims to not only advise them of their rights as
victims but also to assure they get the help they need to address their
short-term and long-term needs—like legal and repatriation services,
immigration relief, housing, employment, education, job training, and
child care.
- The FBI participates
in the Human Smuggling Trafficking Center (HSTC) created in July 2004
by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and
the Attorney General. The HSTC serves as a fusion center for information
on human smuggling and trafficking, bringing together analysts, officers,
and investigators from such agencies as the CIA, the FBI, the Department
of State, and the Department of Homeland Security.
- We also support
the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI), which works to
combat human trafficking and other cross-border crime issues in the
region (and ultimately stop their spread around the world).
In addition,
FBI field offices continue to:
- Produce threat
assessments to determine the nature and extent of human trafficking
in their areas;
- Conduct aggressive
human trafficking investigations and develop actionable intelligence
for future potential cases;
- Build relationships
with civic and community groups and non-governmental organizations
that can refer cases and provide valuable insights and information.
In Fiscal Year 2007, the FBI launched a total of 119 human trafficking
investigations, made 155 arrests, and filed 63 complaints. Ninety-one information/indictments
were filed in our human trafficking cases, and our investigative efforts
resulted in 57 convictions.
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