Legislation
2016 Highlights in the Anti-Trafficking Movement
In 2016, the anti-trafficking movement has made a number of strides forward in combatting trafficking in persons in the US and abroad. As we look forward to combatting human trafficking in 2017, we wanted to take some time and reflect on the steps forward we took in 2016.
Legislative Efforts to Reduce Labor Exploitation of Immigrant Workers
Recently, a new bill was introduced in Congress that would require greater transparency about foreign guest worker programs in an effort to help prevent labor trafficking and exploitation of such workers when they come to work in the U.S.
Unaccompanied Migrant Children’s Vulnerability to Human Trafficking in the United States
Recent reports of unaccompanied migrant children arriving in the United States and being subjected to situations of human trafficking and exploitation have caught the attention of Congress and may spur reform. As previously reported in Human Trafficking Search, the influx of unaccompanied children arriving in 2014 and the recent increase in fall 2015 have given way to serious protection concerns in home countries and in the U.S.
Minnesota’s Safe Harbor Laws- Effectively Assisting Commercial Exploited Youth?
Recently, Minnesota issued a report evaluating the effectiveness of the state’s safe harbor legislation and its ability to provide services to sexually exploited youth within the state. As recently discussed in Human Trafficking Search, safe harbor laws are considered model legal frameworks for state legislatures to include in state anti-trafficking laws. Minnesota has been a leader in implementing safe harbor legislation, in part due to the support of certain Senate and House leaders, namely Senator Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Representative Paulsen.
Eliminating Trafficking & Forced Labor from Supply Chains: New Legislative Trends
The existence of forced labor and human trafficking in a company’s supply chain represents the newest frontier of the global effort to eliminate forced labor and human trafficking. Supply chains are systems of organizations, people, activities, information, and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. They transform natural resources, raw materials, and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer.
Improving State Trafficking Laws
The Trafficking and Victims Protection Act (“TVPA”) and its subsequent reauthorizations provide the United States government with the federal framework to regulate anti-trafficking policy and trafficking victim service provisions. However, there are also state laws in place to address human trafficking. Currently all 50 states have laws criminalizing human trafficking. Yet this is a new development, because as recently as 2004, only four states had human trafficking laws. The tipping point came in 2011-2012 when 28 states passed human trafficking laws. While all states now have anti-trafficking laws, some states nominally address labor trafficking and still others prioritize sex trafficking of minors and as such need to be augmented.
Pending Human Trafficking Legislation
Within the last few weeks the United States Congress has considered a number of bills related to human trafficking. The …
Prosecuting Human Trafficking in the United States: State and Federal Jurisdictions
Since 2000, efforts to fight human trafficking have been actively pursued through legal means in the United States, especially through …
Subcontractor Scheming: Holding Agricultural Companies Liable for Human Trafficking
U.S. legislation on human trafficking is critically flawed. Throughout the field, practitioners are increasingly focusing on culling demand, frequently through …
Arizona’s Human Trafficking Problem
This week, Arizona launched End Sex Trafficking AZ, a public awareness campaign and study aimed at combating sex trafficking. The …