NCJ Number
209231
Date Published
2002
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This paper provides information on trafficking in persons, including pertinent Federal laws and resources for victim services, and offers suggestions for how nongovernment organizations (NGO's) can serve trafficking victims.
Abstract
Under Federal law, the technical term for modern-day slavery or coerced labor is "severe forms of trafficking in persons," which is defined as sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion or in which the person induced to perform such an act is under 18; or the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjecting that person to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. Although the scope and prevalence of such human trafficking are difficult to measure, it is clear that human trafficking is a major source of profit for organized crime syndicates. This paper summarizes the provisions of Federal laws that prohibit trafficking in persons and identifies the Federal benefits and services for which victims may be eligible regardless of immigration status. Also listed are the types of assistance that Federal victim specialists can provide to victims of a Federal crime. Immigration relief available for trafficking victims who lack immigration status is also reviewed, followed by information on laws and services pertinent to work opportunities, wages, and working conditions that may be relevant to trafficking victims. Ways in which the Federal Government can help NGO's assist trafficking victims are outlined, along with ways in which NGO's can assist the Federal Government in the effort to eliminate human trafficking. 13 resources