Trafficking Victims Protection Act

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) is a United States federal law that was enacted in 2000 to combat human trafficking, which includes both sex trafficking and labor trafficking. The TVPA, essentially, defines human trafficking as the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit individuals for labor or commercial sex. The law provides for criminal penalties for traffickers, as well as assistance and support for victims of trafficking, including legal services, health care, and counseling. The TVPA has been reauthorized and amended several times, most recently in 2018. It is administered by the Office of Trafficking in Persons within the Department of State.

 

 

IJM Statement on International Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022
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IJM Statement on International Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022

Tuesday, June 14, 2022, WASHINGTON, D.C. — International Justice Mission (IJM) welcomes the recent passage of the International Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022 (S. 4171) by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This important legislation was introduced by Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jim Risch (R-ID), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) on May…

New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith Pushes Anti-Human Trafficking Legislation, Labels, and Modern Slavery
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New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith Pushes Anti-Human Trafficking Legislation, Labels, and Modern Slavery

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey has teamed up with Democratic Rep. Karen Bass of California to propose the “Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022” or simply HR 6552, a an anti-human trafficking legislation that funds care and support for victims. The Republican leader labeled human trafficking as “modern…

Smith joins trafficking survivors, anti-trafficking groups in urging Congress to advance Smith-Bass bill to help victims of trafficking
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Smith joins trafficking survivors, anti-trafficking groups in urging Congress to advance Smith-Bass bill to help victims of trafficking

Smith joins trafficking survivors, anti-trafficking groups in urging Congress to advance Smith-Bass bill to help victims of trafficking Over 800 anti-trafficking and advocacy groups send letter to House Leadership WASHINGTON—At a Capitol Hill press conference today, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), an internationally recognized leader in the fight to combat human trafficking, joined trafficking survivors and…

Human Trafficking in Colorado
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Human Trafficking in Colorado

Human trafficking happens in every state of the United States — including Colorado. Although the problem is still under-documented and under-reported, nonprofits, law enforcement, and activists have made significant progress toward understanding and combating human trafficking in Colorado. The Exodus Road does not focus on investigative or aftercare work in the United States. However, our…

Forced Marriage and Human Trafficking
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Forced Marriage and Human Trafficking

Forced Marriage in the United States The United States is not aligned with the United Nations and international law when it comes to forced marriage. Unlike the United Nations, the United States government views forced marriage only as a human rights violation, and as being different than human trafficking. The U.S. government states that forced…

Bill would require testing of an untold number of rape kits from human trafficking victims in Ohio – Ohio Capital Journal
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Bill would require testing of an untold number of rape kits from human trafficking victims in Ohio – Ohio Capital Journal

The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. Ohio doesn’t have a requirement to test rape kits when investigating human…

ATEST Endorses Key Bills to Reauthorize and Strengthen Federal Anti-Trafficking Programs
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ATEST Endorses Key Bills to Reauthorize and Strengthen Federal Anti-Trafficking Programs

WASHINGTON — The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) is pleased to announce its endorsement of four bills that will reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). The bills each address different components of U.S. anti-trafficking policy and will progress U.S. government efforts to combat the scourge of labor and sex trafficking both inside…

Health Care Providers Are Missing Signs of Human Trafficking / Modern Slavery
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Health Care Providers Are Missing Signs of Human Trafficking / Modern Slavery

“88% of nearly a hundred trafficking victims had contact with a health care provider at some point while being trafficked” Thousands of sex trafficking victims filter through the U.S. health care system each year. Words and Photos by Isabella Gomes This article appeared in print as “What Doctors Are Missing” in the Spring 2020 issue of Hopkins Bloomberg…

Stories you may have missed: Sex Trafficking Victims Being Punished; Sex Trafficker Admits to Recruiting a 14-Year-Old Minor; Nationwide Sex Trafficking and Prostitution Enterprise Indictments
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Stories you may have missed: Sex Trafficking Victims Being Punished; Sex Trafficker Admits to Recruiting a 14-Year-Old Minor; Nationwide Sex Trafficking and Prostitution Enterprise Indictments

Defendant Instructed Enforcer: “If She Dares Fight Back, Beat Her More Viciously. Get Some Results from the Beating.”

ATEST Testifies to House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security on Ways to Plug Gaps in U.S. Anti-trafficking Programs
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ATEST Testifies to House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security on Ways to Plug Gaps in U.S. Anti-trafficking Programs

April 27, 2022 • 8:37 am • Terry FitzPatrick ATEST is was well represented at Wednesday’s herring of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security. Speakers at the session included: ATEST Director Terry FitzPatrick (see written testimony here) ATEST member organization Human Trafficking Legal Center Founder and President Martina Vandenberg (see written…