What the US is Doing: US Impact on Human Trafficking

The US impact on human trafficking is unique. In 2000 the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) was created. This act requires the Secretary of State to send a list of countries that need to be watched, as well as what improvements have been made. This is a method of determining what countries are or are not making efforts to eradicate human trafficking. 

The Trafficking in persons (TIP) report provides deep purview of the trafficking problem in each country or territory and the government response. The report highlights countries that require the most analysis through the creation of three tiers.

Tier 1 are countries that are in full compliance with TVPA’s minimum standards for the reduction of human trafficking. Tier 2 are for countries who do not yet meet those standards, but are making effort to do so. While Tier 3 are countries that aren’t following TVPA minimum standards and not making significant efforts to do so. 

There is also a “Tier 2 watchlist.” The watchlist includes the Tier 2 definition with one of the following addendums: A large or increasing number of trafficking. Or there hasn’t been very much progress from the previous year. Or their efforts were based on commitments with little follow through.

In 2017 47 countries were placed on the watchlist for either moving up from Tier 3 or for one of the previous addendums. With US impact on human trafficking other countries will have external pressure to make changes.

Sources:

https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/reports/2018/277911.htm

written by Natasha Komen