About Human Trafficking
Source: Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime
Human trafficking remains a high-profit enterprise with relatively low risk for traffickers, and it is considered one of the fastest-growing illicit industries globally. As practitioners receive more specialized training and public awareness increases, that imbalance is beginning to shift. When the perceived risk of detection and prosecution rises, the incentive to commit the crime declines. A coordinated, multidisciplinary task force drawing on expertise across sectors can help accelerate this progress.
What is human trafficking?
Human trafficking is a crime that involves the exploitation of a person for the purpose of compelled sex or labor. There is no single profile of a trafficking victim. Victims of human trafficking can be anyone.
Any person under the age of 18 who is engaged in commercial sex acts, regardless of the use of force, fraud, or coercion, is a victim of human trafficking, even if they appear to consent to the commercial sex act.
Although there is no defining characteristic that all human trafficking victims share, traffickers frequently prey on individuals who are poor, vulnerable, living in an unsafe situation, or are in search of a better life.
Victims may be deceived by false promises of love, a good job, or a stable life and are lured or forced into situations where they are made to work under deplorable conditions with little or no pay.
Just as there is no single type of trafficking victim, perpetrators of this crime also vary. Traffickers can be foreign nationals or U.S. citizens, family members, partners, acquaintances, and even strangers. Many victims and traffickers share ethnic or cultural backgrounds. In these cases, traffickers are better able to understand, gain trust, and ultimately exploit victims. They choose targets based on vulnerability and use recruitment or enticement tactics, selecting control methods that will work most effectively.
People often incorrectly assume that all traffickers are males; however, multiple cases in the United States have revealed that women can also be traffickers. Traffickers can be pimps, gang members, diplomats, business owners, labor brokers, and farm, factory, and company owners.
Victims can be found in legal and illegal labor industries, including child care, elder care, the drug trade, massage parlors, hair salons, restaurants, hotels, factories, and farms. In some cases, victims are hidden behind doors in domestic servitude in a home. Others are in plain view, interact with people on a daily basis, and are forced to work under extreme circumstances in exotic dance clubs, construction, health and beauty services, or restaurants. These conditions exist across the United States.
The U.S. Trafficking Victim's Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA)
According to the TVPA and its subsequent reauthorizations, human trafficking is defined as:
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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
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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 TVPA defines different types of trafficking as:
Commercial Sex Act: Any sex act on account of which anything of value (money, drugs, shelter, food, clothes, etc.) is given to or received by any person. Slavery: A form of exploitation where people are legally considered personal property. Involuntary Servitude: A scheme, plan or pattern that causes a person to believe that if they do not enter into or continue a labor obligation or situation, they will suffer serious harm, abuse, or other negative consequences. Peonage: Peonage is involuntary servitude based upon a real or alleged indebtedness. Debt Bondage: Similar to peonage, debt bondage involves a debt that seemingly can never be paid off, forcing the victim into exploitative labor indefinitely.
Who is a Victim? Who is a Survivor?
Both terms are important and carry distinct implications in the context of victim advocacy and service provision. For example, the term “victim” has legal implications within the criminal justice process and refers to an individual who has suffered harm because of criminal conduct. Laws that grant individuals specific rights and legal standing within the criminal justice system use the term “victim.” Federal law enforcement uses the term “victim” in its professional capacity. “Survivor” is a term widely used in service-providing organizations to recognize the strength and courage it takes to overcome victimization.
Task Forces, Coalitions, and the Anti-Trafficking Collective (ATC)
A task force is generally a law-enforcement-led, multi-agency partnership organized to coordinate investigations, identify victims, and disrupt trafficking operations within a defined jurisdiction. These task forces often include federal, state, and local police agencies working alongside prosecutors and selected community partners to share intelligence, streamline referrals, and improve case outcomes. The National Institute of Justice defines human trafficking task forces broadly as “multidisciplinary groups led by law enforcement that aim to improve investigation, prosecution, and victim identification through coordination and information sharing”.
By contrast, coalitions are commonly initiated and led by victim service providers and community organizations, emphasizing prevention, awareness, and systems-level support services rather than criminal investigation. Coalitions typically focus on networking, capacity building, advocacy, and strengthening community responses for survivors.
The ATC blends elements of both structures. It operates as a collective grounded in the Enhanced Collaborative Model of the Office for Victims of Crime, ensuring equitable leadership between law enforcement and victim service providers. This approach elevates survivor-centered practices while maintaining strong investigative coordination, strengthening Fort Bend County’s comprehensive response to trafficking.
