Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) Compliance

One of the primary obstacles to stopping Human Trafficking activities is tracking violators cross international borders. The very nature of the "business" involves taking victims across borders where they are unfamiliar and unknown. In an effort to get these countries on the same page in persuing traffickers the TVPA (Trafficking Victims Protection Act) was formed.

The US Department of State explains it this way: "The United States’ Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA), as amended, guides efforts to combat human trafficking. The most recent amendments to the TVPA were enacted in December 2008. The purpose of the law is to punish traffickers, protect victims, and prevent trafficking from occurring. Freeing victims from this form of modern-day slavery is the ultimate goal of this report—and of the U.S. Government’s anti-human trafficking policy."
This map show compliance with the TVPA

TIER 1: Countries whose governments fully comply with the (TVPA) minimum standards

TIER 2: Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards

TIER 2 WATCH LIST: Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards AND:a) The absolute number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or issignificantly increasing; orb) There is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year; orc) The determination that a country is making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with minimum standards was based on commitments by the country to take additional future steps over the next year

TIER 3: Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.

Also, here is a link to the Department of State's annual report on human trafficking: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/index.htm.