Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
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The Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, headed by Ambassador Susan Coppedge, leads the United States' global engagement against human trafficking, an umbrella term used to describe the activities involved when someone obtains or holds a person in compelled service. |
Prosecution | Protection | Prevention |
"It ought to concern every person, because it is a debasement of our common humanity. It ought to concern every community, because it tears at our social fabric. It ought to concern every business, because it distorts markets. It ought to concern every nation, because it endangers public health and fuels violence and organized crime. I’m talking about the injustice, the outrage, of human trafficking, which must be called by its true name -- modern slavery."
– President Barack Obama
Annual Meeting of the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
Secretary Kerry (Oct. 24): "It’s in our strategic interest as well to ensure that this fight is a priority of our foreign policy. And the fact is that human trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise. It’s assault on human rights and ... a threat to global stability." Full Text» Fact Sheets: Combating Trafficking in Persons»Building a Lasting Effort To End Modern Slavery»More»
U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking Annual Report 2016
Oct. 18: The U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking released its first annual report with recommendations to strengthen federal anti-trafficking policies and programs. The Council hosted a panel presentation to discuss the report’s recommendations on rule of law, public awareness, victim services, labor laws, and grantmaking.
The Report was written by eleven members, all of whom were appointed by President Obama in December 2015 to serve on the first U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking. Each member is a survivor of human trafficking, and together they represent a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. Report:HTML»PDF»
2016 Trafficking in Persons Report
Secretary Kerry (June 30): "When we talk about 'human trafficking,' we’re talking about slavery – modern-day slavery that still today claims more than 20 million victims on any given time. And all 20 million are people just like everybody here. They have names. They have or had families in many cases. And they are enforced to endure a hell – a living hell in modern times that no human being should ever have to experience." Full Text»Background Briefing» Report»
U.S. Government and the Freedom Fund To Partner in the Global Fight Against Modern Slavery
On September 19, the U.S. Department of State signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Freedom Fund – a leading philanthropic anti-slavery initiative supported by a group of influential private investors including Humanity United, the Legatum Foundation, the Minderoo Foundation, the Stardust Fund, and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation. The aim of this partnership is to maximize impact through closer coordination of government and private donor initiatives in the fight against modern slavery. More»
ResponsibleSourcingTool.org – A Comprehensive Resource for Understanding the Risks of Human Trafficking in Supply Chains and Developing Effective Management Systems to Detect, Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking
ResponsibleSourcingTool.org is available to help federal contractors and other companies, procurement officials, advocates, and consumers understand the risks of human trafficking in supply chains and implement effective management systems to detect, prevent, and combat trafficking. The content was developed by Verité with the support and collaboration of the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons in conjunction with other State Department and U.S. Government agency experts, Made in a Free World and the Aspen Institute.
To learn more about this website, please visit www.responsiblesourcingtool.org.
UPDATE: Winners Announced In Tech Competition To Fight Labor Trafficking In Global Supply Chains
The Partnership for Freedom announced today Sustainability Incubator and Trace Register as the grand prize winning team in Rethink Supply Chains: The Tech Challenge to Fight Labor Trafficking, an innovation competition seeking technological solutions to help identify and address labor trafficking in global supply chains for goods and services.
Labor trafficking in global seafood supply chains has been well-documented in recent years. Sustainability Incubator, an advisory firm that helps seafood companies advance sustainability and solve human rights challenges, and Trace Register, a traceability software company, have teamed up to develop a solution to help companies better understand and address the risks of labor trafficking.
The team will receive a $250,000 grant to support the Labor Safe Digital Certificate, a digital risk assessment tool that will be integrated into Trace Register’s widely used traceability software to help seafood suppliers and major retailers better screen for risks of forced labor and address high-risk zones within their supply chains.
To learn more about the challenge and the winning ideas, please visit www.rethinksupplychains.org.
Labor Rights Promotion Network Foundation (LPN) – Thailand
The State Department is pleased to announce that the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking Persons has awarded a $600,000 grant to the Labor Rights Promotion Network (LPN) to continue its efforts to provide support to migrants in the Thai fishing industry and to support the government’s efforts to hold perpetrators of human trafficking accountable. The 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report highlighted concerns about forced labor and trafficking in Thailand’s fishing and fishing-related industries. This grant will allow LPN to continue partnering with the Thai government to eliminate labor abuses in the seafood sector. LPN will provide direct assistance and support to trafficking victims in the fishing industry, including shelter services, legal aid, and witness protection assistance. LPN will work to improve protection strategies by providing training to community leaders, villagers, and fishermen. LPN will support government efforts to hold traffickers accountable by coordinating with law enforcement on investigations and prosecutions. Additionally, LPN will also raise awareness about the International Labor Organization’s Good Labor Practices (GLP) program in the fisheries industry, corporate social responsibility, and human trafficking in Thailand's fishing industry through media and technology.
Labour Exploitation, Trafficking and Migrant Health: Multi-country Findings on the Health Risks and Consequences of Migrant and Trafficked Workers
The International Organization for Migration and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) released a report on the health risks and consequences of migrant and trafficked workers, with funding from the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. The report explores occupational and other risks to health and well-being, and compares the experiences of migrant workers and victims of trafficking in Kazakhstan, Argentina, and Peru in construction, textile, and illegal mining industries, respectively. Full Report»
