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 supports passage of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection
Reauthorization Act. Collected at this link
are copies of the House and Senate bills, the Department's views letters on each, and other relevant material, including letters
supporting the Department's position from law enforcement agencies, women's and immigrants' groups, crime victims'
rights organizations, and policy experts.
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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