The United States' Response to Human Trafficking: Achievements and Challenges

Human trafficking is a horrific crime against the basic dignity and rights of the human person. Defined as the recruitment, transportation, harboring or receipt of persons by means of force, fraud, or coercion, human trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar-a-year growth industry. In fact, it is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world, and is tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest, after the drug-trade. Though efforts to combat it have been increasing, human trafficking has been experiencing a dramatic resurgence in recent years.  An estimated 800,000 persons are trafficked annually within or across international boundaries, half of whom are children. According to the State Department’s 2010 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, 12.3 million adults and children are currently held in modern-day slavery, including forced labor and prostitution. Millions more are trafficked within their own national borders for a variety of purposes, including forced labor, bonded labor, sexual servitude, and involuntary servitude.

This report examines the United States' response to this evil on the level of policy and examines it through the lens of Church teaching.