* 12.3 million adults and children in forced labor, bonded labor, and forced prostitution around the world; 56 percent of these victims are women and girls
* $32 billion annual trade for the traffickers
* 49,105 victims identified worldwide, a 59 percent increase over the last reporting year (2008)
* Prevalence of trafficking victims in the world: 1.8 per 1,000 inhabitants (in Asia and the Pacific: 3 per 1,000)
* 4,166 successful trafficking prosecutions in 2009, a 40 percent increase over 2008
* Countries that have yet to convict a trafficker under laws in compliance with the Palermo Protocol: 62
* Countries without laws, policies, or regulations to prevent victims’ deportation: 104
* 23 countries received upgraded rankings in the 2010 TIP Report; 19 countries received downgraded rankings
* Two countries, the United States and Kiribati, are ranked for the first time in the 2010 TIP Report. source.

Related Reading:

Trafficking In Persons [Explicit]

Trafficking in Persons in Latin America and the CaribbeanTrafficking in persons (TIP) for the purpose of exploitation is a lucrative criminal activity that is of major concern to the United States and the international community. According to the most recent U.S. State Department estimates, roughly 800,000 people are trafficked across borders each year. If trafficking within countries is included in the total world figures, official U.S. estimates are that some 2 million to 4 million people are trafficked annually. While most trafficking victims still appear to originate from South and Southeast Asia or the former Soviet Union, human trafficking is also a growing problem in Latin America.

Countries in Latin America serve as source, transit, and destination countries for trafficking victims. Latin America is a primary source region for people trafficked to the United States. As many as 17,500 are trafficked into the United States each year, according to State Department estimates. In FY2010, primary countries of origin for the 449 foreign trafficking victims certified as eligible to receive U.S. assistance included Mexico, Honduras, Haiti, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic (along with India and Thailand).

Since enactment of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA, P.L. 106-386), Congress has taken steps to address human trafficking by authorizing new programs and reauthorizing existing ones, appropriating funds, creating new criminal laws, and conducting oversight on the effectiveness and implications of U.S. anti-TIP policy. Most recently, the TVPA was reauthorized through FY2011 in the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-457). Obligations for U.S.-funded anti-TIP programs in Latin America totaled roughly $17.1 million in FY2010.

On June 27, 2011, the State Department issued its 11th annual, congressionally mandated report on human trafficking. The report categorizes countries into four “tiers” according to the government’s efforts to combat trafficking. Those countries that do not cooperate in the fight against trafficking (Tier 3) have been made subject to U.S. foreign assistance sanctions. While Cuba and Venezuela are the only Latin American countries ranked on Tier 3 in this year’s TIP report, seven other countries in the region—Barbados, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Bahamas—are on the Tier 2 Watch List. Unless those countries make significant progress in the next six months, they could receive a Tier 3 ranking in the 2012 report.

Activity on combating TIP has continued into the 112th Congress, particularly related to efforts to reauthorize the TVPA and oversee TIP programs and operations, including U.S.-funded programs in Latin America. Congress may also consider increasing funding for anti-TIP programs in the region, possibly through the Mérida Initiative for Mexico, the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) or through other assistance programs. Congress is likely to monitor new trends in human trafficking in the region, such as the increasing involvement of Mexican drug trafficking organizations in TIP and the problem of child trafficking in Haiti, which has worsened since that country experienced a devastating earthquake on January 12, 2010. For more general information on human trafficking and a discussion of TIP-related legislation in the 112th Congress, see CRS Report RL34317, Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress, by Alison Siskin and Liana Sun Wyler.

Trafficking in Persons: U.S. Policy and Issues for Congress - CRS ReportTrafficking in persons (TIP) for the purposes of exploitation is believed to be one of the most prolific areas of international criminal activity and is of significant concern to the United States and the international community. According to Department of State estimates, roughly 800,000 people are trafficked across borders each year. If trafficking within countries is included in the total world figures, official U.S. estimates indicate that some 2 to 4 million people are trafficked annually. As many as 17,500 people are believed to be trafficked into the United States each year and some have estimated that 100,000 U.S. citizen (USC) children are victims of trafficking within the United States..

Since enactment of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA, P.L. 106-386), the Administration and Congress have aimed to address TIP by authorizing new programs and reauthorizing existing ones, appropriating funds, creating new criminal laws, and conducting oversight on the effectiveness and implications of U.S. anti-TIP policy. Most recently, the TVPA was reauthorized through FY2011 in the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-457). Obligations for global and domestic anti- TIP programs, not including operations and law enforcement investigations, totaled approximately $103.5 million in FY2009.

Activity on combating TIP may continue into the 112th Congress, particularly related to efforts to reauthorize the TVPA. Ongoing international policy issues include how to measure the effectiveness of the U.S. and international responses to TIP, including the State Department’s annual TIP rankings and the use of unilateral sanctions; and how to prevent known sex offenders from engaging in child sex tourism. Domestic issues that may arise include whether there is equal treatment of all victims—both foreign nationals and U.S. citizens, as well as victims of labor and sex trafficking; and whether current law and services are adequate to deal with the emerging issue of domestic minor sex trafficking (i.e., the prostitution of children in the United States). Other issues are whether to include all forms of prostitution (i.e., children and adults) in the definition of TIP, and whether sufficient efforts are applied to addressing all forms of TIP, including not only sexual exploitation, but also forced labor and child soldiers.

On June 14, 2010, the State Department issued its 10th annual, congressionally mandated report on human trafficking. In addition to outlining major trends and ongoing challenges in combating TIP, the report provides a country-by-country analysis and ranking, based on what progress foreign countries have made in their efforts to prosecute traffickers, protect victims, and prevent TIP. For the first time, the United States was included as one of the ranked countries. The report categorizes countries into four tiers according to the government’s efforts to combat trafficking. Those countries that do not cooperate in the fight against trafficking (Tier 3) may be subject to U.S. foreign assistance sanctions. On September 13, 2010, President Barack Obama determined that two Tier 3 countries will be sanctioned for FY2011 without exemption (Eritrea and North Korea). In addition, he determined that four Tier 3 countries will be partially sanctioned (Burma, Cuba, Iran, and Zimbabwe).

The 2010 TIP report also included for the first time, a list of six countries that recruit, use, or harbor child soldiers. Inclusion on this list subjects these countries to possible U.S. assistance sanctions.

Trafficking in Persons Report (June 2011)The U.S. State Department released the eleventh annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report on June 27, 2011. Analyzing 184 governments' work in combating slavery, the Report is both the most comprehensive literature on the subject and an important strategic tool for US diplomatic efforts at increasing international efforts.

Framed Prints of Johann Tetzel from Mary Evans14x11 Framed Print, Black Satin Frame White Digital Mat. , JOHANN TETZEL. JOHANN TETZEL German Dominican monk, notorious for trafficking in indulgences whereby gullible persons purchased release from purgatory. Chosen by Mary Evans. 14x11 wooden frame with digital mat and RA4 print. Finished back including brown backing paper, hanging bracket and corner bumpers. This item is shipped from our American lab.