Modern slavery, also known as trafficking in persons, or human trafficking, undermines the United States’ core principles and values. It robs millions of people, regardless of gender, age, religion, and nationality, of their freedom, and all too often is a hidden and underreported crime.

Human trafficking respects no boundaries. In the United States and in countries around the world, it splinters communities, threatens public safety and national security, distorts economic markets, undermines rule of law, and spurs transnational criminal activity. Human traffickers will continue to expand and diversify their recruitment tactics and methods of exploitation if left unchecked. Traffickers can be strangers, acquaintances, or even family members, and they prey on the vulnerable and on those seeking opportunities to build for themselves a brighter future.

This is why the United States has made the global fight against human trafficking a policy priority and employs a whole-of-government approach to address all aspects of this crime. The President’s Interagency Taskforce to Monitor and Combat Human Trafficking in Persons (PITF) and the Senior Policy Operating Group (SPOG), which consists of senior officials designated as representatives of the PITF members, work year-round to address the many aspects of human trafficking both in the United States and around the world.

In 2012, USAID launched a new Counter-Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) Policy that outlines concrete, measurable programming principles and objectives to focus and reinvigorate the Agency’s C-TIP efforts. It is currently undergoing a revision to make our efforts more integrated, coordinated, and survivor-centered. USAID has implemented C-TIP programs in 71 countries since 2001 and has invested more than $300M to combat human trafficking.