effects of human trafficking and what is being done in the u.s
Human trafficking is a rapidly growing industry and is increasingly becoming the second most profitable criminal activity following drug and arms trafficking. It is estimated to be a $32 billion industry, affecting 161 countries worldwide. According to UN estimates, there is currently an estimated 2.5 million people who are in forced labor and sexual exploitation at any given time as a result of trafficking. In the U.S., since the creation of the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons to coordinate anti-trafficking efforts among various U.S. Federal government agencies with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA), federal government agencies have been implementing programs to protect and assist victims of human trafficking and prosecute their traffickers. In the fiscal year of 2011, the Office administered $16 million in foreign assistance and awarded 96% of its funds for anti-trafficking projects. Although, the U.S. government has been making progressive efforts to address the issue of human trafficking by financially supporting anti-trafficking projects around the world, there is still much to be done in order to combat such a heinous and pervasive issue. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of initiatives and organizations that have directed their efforts towards combating human trafficking by using one or a combination of the 4P's of prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships outlined in the United States' Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), however many organizations find themselves competing for the same federal funding and have been struggling to support their efforts due to a general lack of sufficient funds.