Trafficking in Persons Report

The Secretary of State submits the annual “Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000: Trafficking in Persons Report” to Congress. This report covers “severe forms of trafficking in persons” defined as:

(a) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or (b) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.”

The annual report serves as the primary diplomatic tool through which the U.S. Government encourages other countries to help fight all forms of modern slavery, including forced labor, sex trafficking, bonded labor, debt bondage, involuntary domestic servitude, forced child labor, child soldiers, and child sex trafficking.