Services for Trafficking Victims
Each year, nearly 18,000 to 20,000 people—mostly women and children—are
trafficked into the United States for the purposes of forced labor, forced
prostitution, and other forms of modern-day slavery. Most victims are subjected
to psychological and physical coercion ranging from verbal threats and
abuse to starvation, rape, and torture. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2001, OVC authorized
the transfer of funds to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau
of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Department of Justice's
Civil Rights Division to assist victims of severe forms of trafficking
by providing emergency services when those services are not available from
another source.
In October 2000, Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act
(TVPA) to combat trafficking in persons and to protect victims. In FY 2002,
Congress appropriated $10 million to the Department of Justice to fund
a trafficking victim services grant program. OVC developed and began administering
the Services for Trafficking Victims Discretionary Grant Program, which
made the funding available to states, Indian tribes, units of local government,
and nonprofit victim service organizations for the development, expansion,
and overall strengthening of services for trafficking victims. In addition,
the authorizing legislation provided for research, evaluation, training,
and technical assistance. Also in FY 2002, OVC issued a request for proposals
for services for trafficking victims under a competitive discretionary
grant program. As a result, OVC awarded 12 grants in February 2003: eight
grants to support comprehensive services to trafficking victims in a specific
state or region, including emergency medical attention, food and shelter,
vocational and English-language training, mental health counseling, and
legal support; three grants to support specialized services for trafficking
victims in larger multistate areas; and one grant to support training and
technical assistance for other grantees. In FY 2002, OVC also transferred
funds to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to evaluate this demonstration
program. The NIJ evaluation will focus on three of the comprehensive sites
funded. OVC-funded programs throughout the country now reach trafficking
victims, fulfilling Attorney General John Ashcroft's promise "to ensure
that victims of trafficking have the services they need from the moment
we encounter them."
In December 2003, Congress continued to support trafficking victims
by passing the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.
This act further protects victims by (1) allowing the Department
of Health and Human Services to consider statements from state and
local law enforcement officials as a way to meet a statutory requirement
showing that victims have "been willing to assist in the investigation
and prosecution of state and local crimes" involving severe forms
of trafficking; (2) establishing a senior policy operating group
to share grant information; (3) increasing the Department of Justice's
appropriations to $15 million in both FY 2004 and FY 2005 to provide
grants for states and localities, and authorizing additional funding
in the amount of $250,000 for both FY 2004 and FY 2005 for training
at international law enforcement academies; and (4) prohibiting the
use of appropriated funds to "promote, support, or advocate the legalization
or practice of prostitution."
Also in December 2003, OVC released a competitive solicitation for
the development and provision of comprehensive services for trafficking
victims in unserved and underserved geographic areas. About $9 million
in funding is available. OVC anticipates making these new awards
in April 2004.
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