On
behalf
of
the
Alliance
to
End
Slavery
and
Trafficking
(ATEST),
we
the

undersigned
are
providing
you
a
copy
of
a
study
on
the
prevalence
of
human

trafficking
in
the
United
States.
ATEST
is
a
U.S.‐based,
nonpartisan
coalition
of

complementary
organizations
dedicated
to
developing
a
specific
and
time‐bound

policy
agenda
for
abolishing
slavery
and
human
trafficking
through
policy
advocacy

and
government
relations,
grassroots
constituency‐building,
strategic

communications,
and
engagement
with
the
private
sector
to
address
trafficking.
The

current
member
organizations
address
many
different
aspects
of
human
trafficking,

including
labor
trafficking,
sex
trafficking,
trafficking
within
the
United
States
and

global
trafficking.



The
attached
study,
consisting
of
a
review
of
existing
research
on
human

trafficking
in
the
U.S.
conducted
by
researchers
at
Northeastern
University
and
the

Urban
Institute
and
initiated
by
ATEST
concludes
that
the
types
of
data
reported
by

the
U.S.
Government
and
other
non‐governmental
agencies
is
not
sufficient
to
fully

understand
the
nature
of
the
trafficking
problem
in
the
United
States.

Trafficking

victims
go
undetected,
for
example,
because
U.S.
officials
lack
the
training
necessary

to
identify
them,
and
even
when
identified,
a
victim’s
case
may
not
advance
to
the

point
where
they
are
counted
in
law
enforcement
statistics.
Even
where
they
are

counted,
not
enough
specific
information
is
reported
to
truly
understand
trafficking

in
the
United
States.

In
addition,
there
are
certain
kinds
of
trafficking
that
are

missed
entirely
in
existing
data
collection
efforts.



Immediate
work
needs
to
be
done
to
better
understand
the
scope
and
nature

of
U.S.
human
trafficking
in
order
to
effectively
combat
modern‐day
slavery
in
the

United
States.
Based
on
a
review
of
this
study
and
our
analysis
of
its
conclusions,

ATEST
calls
on
the
U.S.
Government
to:



1.

Improve
existing
federal,
state
and
local
government
data
collection‐‐

• In
addition
to
collecting
data
on
human
trafficking
through
the
Uniform

Crime
Reports,
U.S.
government
agencies
that
routinely
collect
information

on
human
trafficking
should
expand
their
data
collection
and
reporting
to

include:
a)
type
of
victimization
b)
the
duration
of
the
conditions
c)
country

of
origin
of
the
victim
d)
the
amount,
if
any,
of
overlap
of
victim
reporting
to

multiple
agencies.

• Require
the
Trafficking
in
Persons
(TIP)
point
of
contact
at
each
U.S.

Attorney’s
office
to
collect
data
on
trafficking
from
state
and
local
law

enforcement.
The
TIPS
would
share
data
with
the
FBI.
This
practice
would

reduce
reporting
responsibility
on
state
and
local
law
enforcement
and

create
uniform
data
collection
in
the
Uniform
Crime
Reports.

1156 15th Street, NW | Washington, D.C. 20005 | 202.457.9490 | 202.457.8110 (fax)

 


• Expand
existing
data
collection
surveys
and
other
potential
data
sources
to

include
questions
to
identify
at
risk
populations
for
human
trafficking.


Specifically,
reports
on
exploitative
labor
conditions
and
immigration,
as
well

as
national
data
collection
programs,
such
as
the
Youth
Risk
Behavior
Study

and
the
National
Agricultural
Workers
Survey,
could
be
modified
to

incorporate
additional
questions
that
could
identify
at
risk
populations
for

human
trafficking.

Additional
training
of
relevant
government
officials
or

individuals
may
be
necessary
to
help
identify
victims
and
collect
information

for
these
surveys
or
other
potential
sources.


2.

Create
an
effective
center,
either
within
the
U.S.
Government
or
an
institution
of

higher
learning,
that
collects
and
analyzes
data
from
practitioners,
service

providers,
academics
and
law
enforcement.

• The
center
would
collect,
analyze
and
identify
emerging
trends
in
trafficking:

e.g.
the
type
of
victimization
and
the
country
of
origin.

• The
center
would
also
collaborate
with
service
providers
to
assess
what

additional
original
research
is
needed.
For
example,
need
for
basic
research

to
determine
where
trafficking
occurs,
whether
or
not
conducting
a

victimization
survey
is
plausible
and
useful,
and
conducting
a
saturation

study
in
certain
cities
to
obtain
better
and
more
detailed
samples.



Signed,



The
Alliance
to
Stop
Slavery
and
End
Trafficking
(ASSET)



Coalition
to
Abolish
Slavery
&
Trafficking
(CAST)



Free
the
Slaves



International
Justice
Mission



Not
for
Sale
Campaign



Polaris
Project



Ricky
Martin
Foundation



Solidarity
Center



Vital
Voices
Global
Partnership


1156 15th Street, NW | Washington, D.C. 20005 | 202.457.9490 | 202.457.8110 (fax)