Latest modern slavery fight updates - FreedomUnited.org

Major Revamp of US Trafficking Report Rankings

  • Published on
    January 9, 2019
  • News Source Image
  • Category:
    Human Trafficking, Law & Policy
Hero Banner

The United States has at last reauthorized the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), the landmark law that serves as the foundation of the US State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report.

With reauthorization comes several major changes that will change how the TIP global country rankings are formulated, aimed at preventing politicization of the rankings.

Related Campaign: Protect US Youth from Human Trafficking.

In the past, countries like Malaysia, Cuba, and China were upgraded in what were widely seen as political maneuvers, but now countries will be assessed on the actual impact of their anti-trafficking efforts.

“After years of political manipulation of the State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report, the TVPRA makes clear that Congress, on a unanimous, bipartisan basis, will not allow the report to be politically manipulated ever again,” said U.S. Senator Robert Menendez.

Thomson Reuters Foundation reports:

Since September 2017, funding for various provisions of the act was done on a piecemeal basis. In the United States many laws contain “sunset clauses” that require them to be voted on again every few years.

Future TIP reports will have to justify moving nations up or down in the rankings.

“After strong advocacy from civil society, the reauthorization of the TVPRA includes important provisions related to ensuring that countries are rated on the impact of their anti-trafficking efforts in the annual TIP report Tier Rankings, and not just passing laws or policies,” Neha Misra of the Solidarity Center, an advocacy group, said.

The new version of the act, which was originally passed in 2000, also discourages law enforcement from arresting victims of sex trafficking who have been forced into prostitution.

“Trafficking victims continue to be treated as criminals, leading to lifelong challenges,” said Jean Bruggeman, executive director of Freedom Network USA.

Now the Department of Justice needs to restore funding to help survivors vacate criminal records that remain.”

Other notable changes to the TVPA include a prohibition of U.S. government contractors overseas charging recruitment fees, an increase to maximum prison terms for convicted traffickers, and restitution for survivors.

Subscribe

Freedom United is interested in hearing from our community and welcomes relevant, informed comments, advice, and insights that advance the conversation around our campaigns and advocacy. We value inclusivity and respect within our community. To be approved, your comments should be civil.

stop icon A few things we do not tolerate: comments that promote discrimination, prejudice, racism, or xenophobia, as well as personal attacks or profanity. We screen submissions in order to create a space where the entire Freedom United community feels safe to express and exchange thoughtful opinions.

Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

This week

Haiti’s children are being forcibly recruited into violent gangs

Haiti's escalating gang violence is having a devastating impact on its most vulnerable citizens—children. Armed groups are increasingly recruiting boys and girls, offering them basic survival needs in exchange for their lives and freedom. According to a recent report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), children are being lured into these violent organizations under the guise of protection and sustenance, but what follows is a life of exploitation that can only

| Wednesday October 9, 2024

Read more