July/August 2013Vol. 14, No. 6Annual Trafficking in Persons Report
The U.S. Department of State publishes an annual report providing an up-to-date, global look into the nature and scope of human trafficking and the range of government actions to confront and eliminate such atrocities. The report serves as a diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on the subject of human trafficking and makes government-specific recommendations for advancing a more robust victim-centered response to the crime. A variety of entities, including the U.S. Government, international organizations, foreign governments, and nongovernmental organizations, use the report to target resources on trafficking prevention, protection, and prosecution.
In the 2012 report, introductory material discusses the problem of human trafficking and outlines the victim-centered approach for addressing the issue. The document then describes the methodology that was used to categorize countries into one of four tiers based on the extent to which governments are making efforts to combat human trafficking; it also provides lists of the countries that fall under each of the various tier levels. The introductory section also provides global data, as well as the biographies and initiatives of key individuals who are working to eliminate human trafficking.
In addition to the human trafficking overview documented in the introductory materials, the report also provides a "country narrative" for each nation. The narratives examine how each nation is addressing trafficking through prosecution, protection, and prevention efforts and gives examples to support tier-rating justifications.
Trafficking in Persons Report 2012 and the previous 11 editions are available on the U.S. Department of State website:
