human trafficking ssa steven b. merrill san francisco fbi
TRANSCRIPT
MISSION
The mission of the FBI’s Civil Rights Program is to enforce
federal civil rights statutes and to ensure the protected rights of all
persons are not abridged
Involuntary Servitude & SlaveryHuman Trafficking
Trafficking - Moving people across jurisdictional boundaries and forcing them into a labor industryUSDOS estimates 500,000 to 2 million people are trafficked worldwide annuallyEstimated 15,000 to 18,000 persons trafficked annually to the United StatesFastest growing criminal industry in the world
Human Trafficking Task Forces
• In partnership with the Office for Victims of Crime, BJA administers the Law Enforcement Task Forces and Services for Human Trafficking Victims initiative
• Goals:– continue to enhance law enforcement’s ability to identify and
rescue victims of human trafficking– provide law enforcement with the resources and training to
identify and rescue victims of trafficking, and– Ensure comprehensive services are available wherever trafficking
victims are found• BJA currently funds 42 local and state law enforcement
anti-trafficking task forces across the country
HUMAN TRAFFICKING - Lucrative Business
Fastest growing criminal industry in the world
Yields an estimated $ 9.5 billion in profits annually, $ 3.5 billion in the U.S. annually
HT victims are trafficked into the U.S. from nearly every major country in the world
LEGAL FRAMEWORK: OLD LAWS:
• The Thirteenth Amendment:
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist in the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION ACT OF 2000
Congress passed the TVPA on October 28, 2000
• Three Pronged Strategy– Provide protection and assistance to
victims– Prosecute offenders (raised penalties) – Prevent human trafficking globally
TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION ACT OF 2000
• New legislation (Title 18 USC 1589 – 1594)• Raised penalties for slavery offenses,
calling for life sentences in worst cases• Amended in 2003, the most egregious
trafficking violations are now punishable by death
• Victim assistance (medical, housing) • Physical force/abuse no longer required as
an element • Psychological coercion, trickery, threats to
third parties written into the law
Type of Trafficking Reported in TIMS, January 2007 to June 2009
Jan-June 2007
July-Dec 2007
Jan-June 2008
July-Dec 2008
Jan-June 2009
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100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
Jan-June 2007
July-Dec 2007
Jan-June 2008
July-Dec 2008
Jan-June 2009
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100
150
200
250
sex laborbothother
National Western Region
HUMAN TRAFFICKING CASES BY FISCAL YEAR 2001-APRIL 2007
Human Trafficking Cases by Year
0
50
100
150
200
250
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007Year
Nu
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of
Ca
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s
Cases Opened Cases PendingComplaints Indictments/ Informations Arrests Convictions
HOW ARE VICTIMS MOST OFTEN FOUND?
Information received from NGOs, churches, and community service providers
Complainant or victimLocal law enforcement’s response to
an incident
TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT POSSIBLE HUMAN TRAFFICKING
VIOLATIONSContact Your Local FBI Office, (415)553-
7400Contact the FBI Internet Tip Line at
www.fbi.govDepartment of Justice Trafficking in
Persons and Worker Exploitation Task Force Complaint Line, (888)428-7581. Operators have access to interpreters and can talk with callers in their own language.