In 2000, Congress enacted TVPA and reauthorized and amended the act  twice. The accuracy of the estimates is in doubt because of  methodological weaknesses, gaps in data and numerical discrepancies. For  example, the U.S. government’s estimate was developed by one person who  did not document all of his work, so the estimate may not be replicable,  casting doubt on its reliability. Moreover, country data are generally not  available, reliable or comparable. There is also a considerable discrepancy  between the numbers of observed and estimated victims of human  trafficking. Internal trafficking data not included. Similarly, the U.S. government estimated that a total of 600,000  to 800,000 people were trafficked across transnational borders worldwide  annually. Trafficking Data Collection in the United States Is Fragmented While IOM’s Is Systematic

The U.S. government has not yet established an effective mechanism for  estimating the number of victims or for conducting ongoing analysis of  trafficking related data that resides within various government agencies. Lack of Strategy and Performance Measures Prevents U.S. Government from Determining Overall Program Effectiveness Abroad

While federal agencies have undertaken activities to combat trafficking in  persons, the U.S. government has not developed a coordinated strategy to  combat human trafficking abroad, as called for in a presidential directive. The U.S. government has established an interagency task force and  working group on human trafficking, which have focused on complying  with U.S. policy on prostitution and avoiding duplication of effort, but they  have not focused on developing and implementing a systematic way for  agencies to clearly delineate roles and responsibilities in relation to each  other, and identify targets of greatest need and leverage overseas activities  to achieve greater results. In addition, governmentwide task forces have  not developed measurable goals and associated indicators to evaluate the  overall effectiveness of efforts to combat trafficking abroad or outlined an  evaluation plan to gauge results, making the U.S. government unable to  determine the effectiveness of its efforts abroad or to adjust its assistance  to better meet needs. This report has increased  global awareness about trafficking in persons, encouraged action by some  governments who failed to comply with the minimum standards, and raised  the threat of sanctions against governments who did not make significant  efforts to comply with these standards. However, the report’s explanations for these ranking  decisions are incomplete, and agencies do not consistently use the report  to influence antitrafficking programs. Moreover, in justifying the tier rankings for these  countries, State does not comprehensively describe foreign governments’  compliance with the standards, many of which are subjective. This lessens  the report’s credibility and hampers its usefulness as a diplomatic tool. In  addition, incomplete country narratives reduce the report’s utility as a  guide to help focus U.S. government resources on antitrafficking  programming priorities. Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Our objectives were to examine (1) estimates of the extent of global  trafficking in persons, (2) the U.S. government’s strategy to combat  trafficking in persons abroad, and (3) the Department of State’s (State)  process for evaluating foreign governments’ antitrafficking efforts.
Why GAO Did This Study

Human trafficking is a worldwide form of exploitation in which men, women, and children are bought, sold, and held against their will in involuntary servitude. In addition to the tremendous personal damage suffered by individual trafficking victims, this global crime has broad societal repercussions, such as fueling criminal networks and imposing public health costs. In 2000, Congress enacted the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) to combat trafficking and reauthorized this act twice. This report reviews U.S. international antitrafficking efforts by examining (1) estimates of the extent of global trafficking, (2) the U.S. government's strategy for combating the problem abroad, and (3) the Department of State's process for evaluating foreign governments' antitrafficking efforts.

What GAO Found

The U.S. government estimates that 600,000 to 800,000 persons are trafficked across international borders annually. However, such estimates of global human trafficking are questionable. The accuracy of the estimates is in doubt because of methodological weaknesses, gaps in data, and numerical discrepancies. For example, the U.S. government's estimate was developed by one person who did not document all his work, so the estimate may not be replicable, casting doubt on its reliability. Moreover, country data are not available, reliable, or comparable. There is also a considerable discrepancy between the numbers of observed and estimated victims of human trafficking. The U.S. government has not yet established an effective mechanism for estimating the number of victims or for conducting ongoing analysis of trafficking related data that resides within government entities. While federal agencies have undertaken antitrafficking activities, the U.S. government has not developed a coordinated strategy for combating trafficking abroad or developed a way to gauge results and target its overall assistance. The U.S. government has established coordination mechanisms, but they do not include a systematic way for agencies to clearly delineate roles and responsibilities in relation to each other, identify needs, or leverage activities to achieve greater results. Further, the U.S. government has not established performance measures or conducted evaluations to gauge the overall impact of antitrafficking programs abroad, thus preventing the U.S. government from determining the effectiveness of its efforts or adjusting its assistance to better meet needs. The Department of State assesses foreign governments' compliance with minimum standards to eliminate trafficking in persons; but the explanations for ranking decisions in its annual Trafficking in Persons Report are incomplete, and the report is not used consistently to develop antitrafficking programs. It has increased global awareness, encouraged government action, and raised the risk of sanctions against governments who did not make significant efforts to comply with the standards. However, State does not comprehensively describe compliance with the standards, lessening the report's credibility and usefulness as a diplomatic tool. Further, incomplete country narratives reduce the report's utility as a guide to help focus U.S. government resources on antitrafficking programming priorities.