{
  "id": "R44581",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "R44581",
  "active": true,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 454856,
      "date": "2016-08-05",
      "retrieved": "2016-09-09T19:02:53.410350",
      "title": "Trafficking in Persons and U.S. Foreign Policy Responses in the 114th Congress",
      "summary": "Trafficking in persons, or human trafficking, refers to the subjection of men, women, and children to exploitative conditions that may be tantamount to slavery. Reports suggest that human trafficking is a global phenomenon, victimizing millions of people each year and contributing to a multi-billion dollar criminal industry. Common forms of human trafficking include trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, and debt bondage. Other forms of human trafficking include trafficking for domestic servitude and the use of children in armed conflict (e.g., child soldiers).\nHuman trafficking is a centuries-old problem that, despite international and U.S. efforts to eliminate it, continues to occur in virtually every country in the world. The modern manifestation of the human trafficking problem is driven by gaps in the enforcement of anti-trafficking laws and regulations and the willingness of some labor and service providers to violate such laws in order to fulfill international demand. Such demand is particularly concentrated among industries and economic sectors that are low-skill and labor-intensive. Human trafficking is an international and cross-cutting policy problem that affects a range of major national security, human rights, criminal justice, social, economic, migration, gender, public health, and labor issues. \nThe U.S. government and successive Congresses have long played a leading role in international efforts to combat human trafficking. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA, Division A of P.L. 106-386, as amended) and its reauthorizations are the cornerstone legislative vehicles for current U.S. policy to combat international human trafficking. Since enactment of the TVPA in 2000, Congress has remained active on international human trafficking issues, particularly with appropriations identified for anti-trafficking assistance purposes, proposed legislation related to the TVPA, and other anti-trafficking initiatives. Periodic oversight hearings have focused in particular on the State Department\u2019s annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, a detailed country-by-country ranking and analysis of government efforts to achieve congressionally established minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking.\nAlthough there is widespread support among policy makers for U.S. anti-trafficking goals, ongoing reports of continued trafficking worldwide raise questions regarding whether sufficient progress has been made to deter and ultimately eliminate the problem. This report provides an overview of recent global trends and U.S. foreign policy responses to address human trafficking. The report focuses in particular on efforts conducted by the State Department\u2019s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP) and the President\u2019s Interagency Task Force (PITF) on human trafficking, as well as discussion of the 2016 TIP Report. An Appendix includes the status of legislation introduced in the 114th Congress on international dimensions of human trafficking.\nDrawing on CRS Report R42497, Trafficking in Persons: International Dimensions and Foreign Policy Issues for Congress, this report reflects policy activity in the 114th Congress and will be updated to reflect international trafficking developments through the end of the second session. \n\n.",
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      "typeId": "REPORTS",
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      "topics": []
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  ],
  "topics": [
    "Appropriations",
    "Economic Policy",
    "Foreign Affairs",
    "National Defense"
  ]
}