Overview of Federal Human Trafficking Laws and a Trauma-Informed Approach to Working with Trafficking Victims

This program will provide an introduction on the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and related laws. This course will start with a brief overview of the history of the TVPA.  It will then provide an introduction and overview of the two main statutes under the TVPA: (1) 18 U.S.C. 1591-sex trafficking; and (2) 18 U.S.C. 1589-forced labor.  The course will describe the common element of both sex trafficking and forced labor-coercion. The course will focus especially on non-violent coercion, which is the more subtle, but insidious, type of coercion many modern-day traffickers use to force victims to engage in labor or commercial sex against their will. The program will end with a discussion on victim-centered, trauma-informed approaches to prosecution. This program will benefit criminal law attorneys, civil rights attorneys, and any attorneys working with marginalized and vulnerable populations.  

Learning Objectives: 

1. Review the constitutional and statutory authority for federal human trafficking legislation

2. Apply the elements of federal human trafficking statutes, especially the sex trafficking and forced labor statutes

3. Examine the effect of non-violent coercion on human trafficking victims

4. Discuss the importance and skill of using trauma-informed approaches when working with human trafficking victims