United ambassadors call for an increased focus on combating human trafficking. When the United States’ Trafficking Victims Protection Act became law in 2000, it created the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. This office, led by an Ambassador-at-Large, partnered with other federal agencies, foreign governments, international organizations, civil society, survivors, and the private sector, coordinating and strategizing initiatives, foreign assistance, policy, and diplomacy targeting human trafficking. Six people have held the ambassador position leading these global efforts.
Recently, five of these ambassadors joined together for a panel discussion on the global movement to combat human trafficking. Several critical themes emerged from their conversation and experience, providing direction for the future of combating human trafficking and affirming human dignity.
1. Human trafficking is a massive problem.
There are an estimated 27.6 million victims of forced labor and sex trafficking. Last year, governments identified 102,027. That means only 0.3 percent of victims are identified. To put it another way, over 99 percent of human trafficking victims are not receiving help. Instead, they remain trapped by the criminals, cartels, and companies trafficking them. In the last 10 years, global prosecutions have decreased by 20 percent and global convictions by 18 percent. Traffickers’ profits are soaring at $236 billion a year. The scope of this crime impacts individuals and families, communities and countries, national security and economies. It is a problem that demands our efforts.
The scope of trafficking is increasing. Enforcement is decreasing. Victim identification is anemic. Funding has been static, and now feels like it is plummeting. There has to be more that we can do.”
—Ambassador John Cotton Richmond
2. Clarity matters.
Human trafficking is a crime that occurs when the trafficker compels someone to engage in a commercial sex act or forced labor. The trafficker uses force, fraud, or coercion to compel their victim. While human trafficking is a global issue, this panel focused on American policies, providing history and helpful insight. When Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000 and created offices focusing on this single issue, it did so because the American people wanted their values of freedom, liberty, and life to be at the table. Human trafficking is an affront to those values. Failure to continue to focus on this issue is an affront to what the American people want. Clarity on the history of why the Trafficking Victims Protection Act exists is necessary for knowing how to navigate forward and what to prioritize in future.
Likewise, clarity in what human trafficking is is necessary in order to distinguish it from what it is not. As a subject matter, human trafficking intersects with immigration, refugees, global supply chains, poverty alleviation, education, and the climate. All of these issues that trafficking intersects with are important, requiring strategic focus for policy solutions. Yet the crime of human trafficking remains distinct. It is an error to conflate and relabel human trafficking initiatives under any other issue. Doing so, diminishes the capacity to arrive at effective strategies and real solutions. It also conflates the data and metrics necessary for efforts to succeed.
3. The “3P” paradigm of prosecuting trafficking cases, protecting victims, and preventing trafficking remain strategic guideposts for global efforts.
Individuals, organizations, and units may emphasize one over the other, but all three remain as necessary guideposts on the map to combat human trafficking. Removal of any of these three P’s comes at the cost of the dignity of victims and the rule of law.
4. Trafficking offices and specialized units are critical infrastructure for combating human trafficking.
The presence of specialized government departments and units focusing on victim identification, trauma-informed services, prosecution, perpetrator accountability, and targeted prevention remain vital to global efforts to combat sex trafficking and forced labor. It is these mandated and focused government offices and units that provide the expertise, training, and resources that are necessary to effectively execute search warrants, interview survivors, or take forced labor and sex trafficking cases to court. Without them, there are enforcement gaps that result in less perpetrators being held accountable and less freedom for minors and coerced adult victims. Without government focus, the crime becomes worse and the movement combating trafficking overall suffers.
5. Combating human trafficking remains a bipartisan issue.
Stopping this crime is something that should interest and compel everyone regardless of political affinity. Compelling someone to work in commercial sex or forced labor is a crime that impacts adults, minors, citizens and noncitizens alike regardless of geographical location. It is in all of our best interest to stop trafficking in our communities and countries.
6. With focus and emphasis on human dignity, there is a path forward.
Incredibly dedicated, talented, wise, and compassionate professionals across agencies and sectors have engaged in this work for decades. Their work is to be commended and honored. And while there have been massive funding and focus shifts in the movement in recent days, the work itself of advancing freedom remains unchanged. Listening to survivors, focusing on initiatives combating both forced labor and sex trafficking, interpreting data with clarity, and holding traffickers to account are all necessary to the future of stopping human trafficking. Recognizing the human dignity of victims is what gives stamina and courage to persevere in the work ahead. It is critical that the everyday reality of exploitation that the 27.6 million victims of human trafficking face remain at the forefront of future efforts. We must remain focused and committed in the work of freedom.
Libertas Council is grateful to Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law for hosting this panel on the Global Anti-Human Trafficking Movement at a Crossroads.
Panelists
Mark Lagon (2007–2009)
Currently chief policy officer at the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, Ambassador Lagon strengthened collaborations and shaped groundbreaking strategies to combat modern slavery as ambassador.
Luis C.deBaca (2009–2014)
Ambassador C.deBaca is a professor of practice at the University of Michigan Law School. He played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. trafficking policy and advancing global standards for combating human trafficking.
Susan Coppedge (2015-2017)
Now executive director of Georgia Legal Services, Ambassador Coppedge’s tenure was marked by a focus on survivor services, incorporation of survivor voices through the U.S. Advisory Council, and interagency cooperation to strengthen prevention and protection efforts.
John Cotton Richmond (2018–2021)
Serving as Chief Impact Officer of Atlas Free and President of the Libertas Council, Ambassador Richmond is a noted legal expert and strategist in combating human trafficking. He has received national recognition for his innovative approaches to victim-centered prosecutions and foreign policy engagement.
Cindy Dyer (2023–2025)
Currently Chief Program Officer for the McCain Institute, Ambassador Dyer’s career has been defined by her commitment to human rights and the eradication of human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault. She has championed policy development, international collaboration, and survivor empowerment throughout her distinguished public service.
Mary Graw Leary (Moderator)
Professor Graw Leary is a law professor at Catholic Law and directs the Modern Prosecution Program. A former federal prosecutor, her expertise lies in criminal law, procedure, technology, and victimization, with a focus on the exploitation of women, children, and marginalized groups. She is a recognized authority on issues like human trafficking, exploitation, and the Fourth Amendment.
