Human Trafficking in America - Problems, Policy, and Possibilities

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Abstract

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center reports that 16,768 signals were initiated to report cases of human trafficking while only 4,168 were actually classified as reported cases of human trafficking; meanwhile, an estimated 14,500 to 17,500 individuals are being trafficked in the United States. The purpose of this paper is to provide a program evaluation and recommendation of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), which was most recently reauthorized in 2013. I evaluate the following components of the TVPA, Section 1595 (part of the 2003 reauthorization): how the human trafficking problem is framed; its subsequent policy responses; and the victim application process and its impact on those seeking assistance. Finally, I will introduce a strategic cross-agency plan to combat human trafficking.

Author

• Ashley Nicole Abrams, University of the Incarnate Word