State releases 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report

This month the State Department released the 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report. This is the 15^th year the report has been published, and it is also the 15^th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

On July 27, Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Sarah Sewell spoke at the roll out for the report, saying the report is “widely regarded as the gold standard for anti-trafficking information.” According to Sewell, “Not only do foreign governments look to its recommendations on how to improve, civil society relies on these pages to guide their efforts as well.”

The trafficking in persons reports examine how well governments, including the U.S. government, respond to human trafficking, and the 2015 report “places a special emphasis on human trafficking in the global marketplace.” The 2015 report also “highlights the hidden risks that workers may encounter when seeking employment,” and provides steps governments and employers can take to prevent trafficking.

As with previous editions of the report, the 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report repeatedly cites weak or non-existent interagency cooperation as a contributing factor to human trafficking in many countries. The report also notes progress made in the U.S. with the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

For more information about the report, please follow the links below.
Trafficking in Persons Report 2015 – Complete Report, State Department
Trafficking in Persons Report 2015, State Department
Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Sarah Sewall on the 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report, State Department