FACT SHEET

America’s Global Leadership on Combating Human Trafficking

August 2025

American leadership is critical to combating human trafficking, a global crisis that recognizes no borders and devastates individuals and families. Trafficking undermines the global economy and threatens our national and economic security. The number of people in modern slavery has increased by 10 million from 2016 to 2021, showcasing the exacerbated risks and challenges of fighting human trafficking.¹

The International Labor Organization estimates that 50 million people live in modern slavery, controlled and forced to work by others and sold as commodities (28 million in forced labor and sex trafficking, and 22 million in forced marriage).²
Trafficking is estimated to have grown into a $236 billion business, one of the world’s biggest illicit industries, undermining economic growth and trapping victims and their families in inter-generational cycles of debt bondage.³
Trafficking disproportionately impacts women and children. Women and girls account for 92% of all victims of sex trafficking, and 61% of all other forms of trafficking. Children account for 30% of all victims of forced labor. In low-income countries, children account for half of the victims of human trafficking detected.⁴

This is a crisis that affects nearly every country including the United States. Many of America’s local and state leaders – in cities like Houston and Phoenix, and states including Alabama and Missouri – have established human trafficking task forces to combat the problem. As Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has observed, “Human trafficking is a vile form of modern-day slavery.”⁵

America’s Track Record in Prosecution, Protection, and Prevention

Over the past two decades, Democratic and Republican Presidents with bipartisan support in Congress have driven U.S. leadership in the global fight against human trafficking. 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). TVPA established the President’s Interagency Task Force on Trafficking, which coordinates the efforts of over a dozen U.S. government departments and agencies to maximize effectiveness and impact of programming.

The Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, mandated by the TVPA, ranks the efforts of governments to combat human trafficking each year. The TIP Report is a critical tool to monitor country progress in addressing trafficking and shape future U.S. country strategies through its recommendations.

The Report may recommend countries with the worst records face cuts to non-humanitarian and non-trade related U.S. assistance, which the President has the authority to waive if assistance is determined to be in the United States’ national interest or if restrictions would negatively impact vulnerable populations in the country. For example, members of Congress expressed concerns that cutting assistance based on the TIP Report to the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of 21 countries with the worst records in the 2019 TIP Report, could have harmed U.S. efforts to help it respond to outbreaks of Ebola.

The United States has demonstrated a strong track record in fighting traffickers and strengthening the rule of law, supporting survivors, and raising awareness that advances our interests abroad and at home. These efforts have been complemented by the international community to monitor progress and mobilize support.

Prosecution: Fighting Traffickers and Strengthening the Rule of Law

Thanks to support from the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP), there were 18,774 prosecutions of traffickers around the world in 2023 – double the 9,460 prosecutions in 2013.⁶
In FY 2023, TIP awarded more than $66 million to fund 55 projects worldwide that address both sex and labor trafficking.⁷
TIP has trained over 6000 criminal justice actors – ranging from prosecutors to judges to law enforcement officials – subsequently strengthening both investigations and prosecutions in 20 countries.⁸

Protection: Supporting Survivors

Congress established an Advisory Council on Human Trafficking in 2015, which consists of trafficking survivors who advise the State Department on best practices in combating human trafficking. The 2022 reauthorization of TVPA made the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking permanent and strengthened TVPA’s three-pronged approach to human trafficking: Prosecution, Protection, and Prevention.
The share of children among trafficking victims tripled over the past 15 years, with girls mainly trafficked for sexual exploitation, while boys were primarily used for forced labor. In 2023 alone, 14 new or amended laws were enacted addressing trafficking.

Prevention: Raising Awareness

Programs funded by the State Department in the Philippines and the Dominican Republic have been found to reduce trafficking and related violence from 50%–85.⁹

Targeting the traffickers

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Jim Risch (R-ID)’s and Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)’s proposed FY26 State Authorization amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act includes a comprehensive set of provisions targeting human trafficking, authorizing $102.5 million for FY2026 through 2029 under the TVPA. These provisions were not included in last year’s amendment, underscoring their heightened priority in Congress.
- The provisions include a variety of initiatives to combat human trafficking and specifically requires identification of foreign assistance resources needed to fully implement strategies to address human trafficking.

Bipartisan Commitment to Fighting Trafficking

“Human trafficking continues to cause suffering for millions of people worldwide, especially young women and girls. We must do everything we can to help the victims.” – Secretary of State Marco Rubio
“Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal activity…join me in standing up to end this terrible crime, both in Florida and around the world.” – Michael Waltz, Nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
“Human trafficking erodes personal dignity and destroys the moral fabric of society. It is an affront to humanity that tragically reaches all parts of the world.” – President Donald Trump
“No one should live in fear of exploitation or abuse. Human trafficking is a direct attack on our most basic freedoms and it’s happening in plain sight: in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and our communities.” – Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)
“Human traffickers are the worst of the worst – whether it is smuggling people over our southern border, or the millions trapped in modern-day slavery – we must do all we can to stop this abuse and hold the perpetrators accountable.” – Senator Jim Risch (R-ID)
“Whether it is forced labor in a sweatshop or sexual slavery, human trafficking is truly reprehensible and has no place in the United States.” – Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA)
“I call on Congress, the State Department, and all citizens to redouble efforts to eradicate the scourge of human trafficking once and for all. Evil thrives in the shadows—we must bring to light the prevalence of this multi-billion dollar industry, punish the perpetrators, and help the victims.” – Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)

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