human trafficking

HUMAN RIGHTS

As defined by the US Congress, human trafficking is 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 (8 U.S.C. § 1101).

Human trafficking features

• Must contain an element of force, fraud, or coercion (actual, perceived or implied), unless under 18 years of age and involved in commercial sex acts. 

• Forced labour and/or exploitation

• Persons trafficked are victims.

• Persons are enslaved, subjected to limited movement or isolation, or had documents confiscated.

• Trafficking need not involve actual movement of a victim. 

• The crime does not require the crossing of an international border.

• Person must be involved in labour/services or commercial sex acts, i.e., must be “working”