The issue of human trafficking was catalyzed to the forefront of the American social justice system with the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) in 2000, which set a framework to fight trafficking on the federal, state, and local levels. However, despite continued legislative efforts to address and eradicate human trafficking, this crime remains rampant in the U.S. The materials below provide an overview of federal anti-trafficking legislation and the evolution of its implementation throughout the past decade.

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Trafficking Victims Protection Act Summary

Below are links to the initial Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 and it subsequent reauthorizations.  The Trafficking Victims Protection Act Summary resource pack includes the TVPA Fact Sheet which provides a summary of the initial legislation and some of the key modifications made with each legislation.  

Trafficking Victims Protection Act Summary Resource Pack

Materials Included:

• TVPA Fact Sheet
• TVPRA 2008 Summary

Trafficking Victims Protection Act

• TVPA Reauthorization Act 2003
• TVPA Reauthorization Act 2005
• TVPA Reauthorization Act 2008

Task Forces

Human trafficking task forces incorporate law enforcement and service providers who are specifically trained to facilitate an efficient first response to trafficking situations. While their presence is not yet widespread in the U.S., task forces are a crucial component of the anti-human trafficking movement.  Below are links to materials that discuss the role of human trafficking task forces in the United States:

• Attorney General’s Annual Report to Congress and Assessment of U.S. Government Activities to Combat Trafficking in Persons in Fiscal Year 2009 (July 2010)
• United States Task Force Map
• DC Task Force Organizational Model

Click here to see more US federal anti-trafficking efforts.