Federal Agencies Have Initiated Efforts to Determine Prevalence of Human Trafficking; Existing Trafficking Data Rely on Information Reported to Authorities

		Federal Agencies Have Made Efforts to Determine Prevalence of Human Trafficking in the United States and Are Taking Steps to Improve Data Collection

Federal agencies have begun efforts to assess the prevalence of human  trafficking in the United States and develop data standards and definitions  to help facilitate prevalence studies. The  purpose of the project is to inform the development of an integrated data  collection platform regarding human trafficking victimization; establish  baseline knowledge of human trafficking and victim needs; and support  effective prevention and intervention responses. HHS, in  consultation with key stakeholders, has developed draft data fields and  definitions for human trafficking and expects to begin piloting the data  collection effort in fall 2016. NIJ has awarded grants for the development and  testing of methodologies that could be used to calculate human trafficking  prevalence. Selected Law Enforcement Officials and Prosecutors Reported Lack of Victim Cooperation, Limited Services, and Difficulty Detecting Victims as Challenges, and Have Taken Steps to Mitigate Them

According to federal, state, and local law enforcement officials and  prosecutors we interviewed, investigating and prosecuting human  trafficking crimes is challenging for multiple reasons, including a lack of  victim cooperation, limited availability of victim services, difficulty  identifying human trafficking, and others. Federal, state and local  agencies have taken or are taking some actions to address these  challenges, such as increasing the availability of services, primarily by  providing funding through grants. In general, officials stated that obtaining the victim’s  cooperation is important for human trafficking investigations and  prosecutions because the victim is generally the primary witness and  source of evidence. The officials told us that human trafficking victims  may be unable or unwilling to cooperate with the investigation or  prosecution because they distrust law enforcement, may be traumatized  by abuse or addicted to drugs, have a sentimental attachment to the  trafficker, do not see themselves as victims, or fear retaliation from the  trafficker. Such an approach places value on the identification and stabilization of  victims and providing immigration relief, as well as the investigation and  prosecution of traffickers. Victim services. DOJ and HHS Administer Human Trafficking Grants to Promote Stakeholder Collaboration and Provide Victim Services, and They Have Processes to Minimize Grant Duplication

		At Least 42 Federal Grant Programs Are Available to Combat Human Trafficking in the United States and Assist Victims

We identified 42 grant programs for which the federal government  awarded funding in 2014 and 2015 that may be used to combat human  trafficking or to assist victims of human trafficking (see appendix IV for a  list of the grant programs and their objectives). Figure 6 shows the number of human  trafficking grants awarded within the United States by city. In response to  these recommendations, DOJ also requires grant applicants to identify in  their applications any federal grants they are currently operating under as  well as federal grants for which they have applied. Agency Comments and Our Evaluation

We provided a draft of this report for review and comment to the  Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Homeland  Security, Justice, Labor, and State; the Equal Employment Opportunity  Commission; and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. 2. 3. To address the first objective, we reviewed prior GAO human trafficking  reports, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 and other federal  laws related to human trafficking, and we interviewed Department of  Justice (DOJ), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the  Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officials, to learn  whether their component agencies had efforts underway to collect human  tracking data that could be used to determine the prevalence of human  trafficking in the United States. We conducted 32 interviews with federal, state and local law enforcement  and prosecutorial agencies who were part of the identified task forces in  these jurisdictions. While these officials’ perspectives cannot be generalized to all  jurisdictions, they provided insights into federal, state, and local efforts to  combat human trafficking. Duplication occurs on multiple levels. Fifteen are intended solely for these purposes.
Why GAO Did This Study

Human trafficking—the exploitation of a person typically through force, fraud, or coercion for such purposes as forced labor, involuntary servitude or commercial sex—is occurring in the United States. Congress has passed multiple laws to help ensure punishment of traffickers and protection of victims. DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security lead federal investigations and prosecutions of trafficking crimes. The Departments of Defense, Labor, and State, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigate trafficking related offenses under certain circumstances, and take further action, as appropriate. DOJ and HHS award grants to fund victim service programs.
The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 includes a provision for GAO to review law enforcement efforts and grant programs to combat human trafficking and assist victims in the United States. This report discusses (1) federal efforts to assess prevalence of human trafficking (2) challenges agencies face in investigating and prosecuting human trafficking cases, and 3) federal grants and steps taken to prevent duplication. GAO reviewed trafficking data and agency documents, and conducted 32 interviews with federal, state and local law enforcement officials and prosecutors in four jurisdictions. We selected these jurisdictions based on the number of human trafficking tips they received, receipt of human trafficking task force funding and geographic variation. These officials' perspectives cannot be generalized to all jurisdictions but they provide insights into anti-trafficking efforts.

What GAO Found

Federal agencies have begun efforts to assess the prevalence of human trafficking in the United States and develop data standards and definitions to help facilitate prevalence studies. For example, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is sponsoring the Human Trafficking Data Collection Project, which seeks to inform the development of an integrated data collection platform regarding human trafficking victimization, establish baseline knowledge of human trafficking and victim needs, and support effective prevention and intervention responses. HHS, in consultation with key stakeholders, has developed draft data fields and definitions for human trafficking and expects to begin piloting the data collection effort in fall 2016. Further, the National Institute of Justice, within the Department of Justice (DOJ), has awarded grants for the development and testing of methodologies that could be used to estimate the prevalence of human trafficking.
Federal, state and local law enforcement officials and prosecutors GAO interviewed reported that investigating and prosecuting human trafficking cases is challenging for multiple reasons, including a lack of victim cooperation, limited availability of services for victims, and difficulty identifying human trafficking. Officials told us that obtaining the victim's cooperation is important because the victim is generally the primary witness and source of evidence; however, obtaining and securing victims' cooperation is difficult, as victims may be unable or unwilling to testify due to distrust of law enforcement or fear of retaliation by the trafficker. According to these officials, victim service programs, such as those that provide mental health and substance abuse services, have helped improve victim cooperation; however, the availability of services is limited. Further, officials reported that identifying and distinguishing human trafficking from other crimes such as prostitution can be challenging. Federal, state, and local agencies have taken or are taking actions to address these challenges, such as increasing the availability of victim services through grants and implementing training and public awareness initiatives.
GAO identified 42 grant programs with awards made in 2014 and 2015 that may be used to combat human trafficking or to assist victims of human trafficking, 15 of which are intended solely for these purposes. Although some overlap exists among these human trafficking grant programs, federal agencies have established processes to help prevent unnecessary duplication. For instance, in response to recommendations in a prior GAO report, DOJ requires grant applicants to identify any federal grants they are currently operating under as well as federal grants for which they have applied. In addition, agencies that participate in the Grantmaking Committee of the Senior Policy Operating Group are encouraged to share grant solicitations and information on proposed grant awards, allowing other agencies to comment on proposed grant awards and determine whether they plan to award funding to the same organization.