In response to efforts of unlikely coalitions of feminists, fundamentalist Christians, non-profit service providers, liberal and conservative politicians, The Trafficking Victims and Protection Act (TVPA) was passed in 2000 as a global attempt to reduce human trafficking (Stolz, 2005). President George W. Bush, in an emotional 2003 “Rescuing Women and Children from Slavery” speech to the United Nations, announced a $50 million initiative to combat human trafficking around the world (U.S Department of Homeland Security, 2005). According to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), trafficking is defined as: (a) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age; (b) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of fraud, force, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery (Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000).
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The Trafficking Victims and Protection Act (TVPA) was designed to protect victims and to increase prosecutions against traffickers. Included in TVPA are provisions that allow illegal immigrants access to legal status and government benefits. Qualified trafficking victims may apply for “T visas” allowing them to remain in the United States and to receive federal government benefits. Requirements include agreement that victims cooperate with federal law enforcement in the prosecution of traffickers (Bales, 2005; Chuang, 2004; Webber & Shirk, 2005). T-visas allow many potential benefits not available to other illegal immigrants, including waiver of health screening requirement and HIV tests, protection against criminal prosecution for trafficking related offenses, and waiver of the “public charge” expectations. Qualified victims may petition to have family members admitted to the United States. United States anti-trafficking policies include attempts to encourage other countries to comply with anti-trafficking efforts by threatening lack of fiscal support to non-compliant countries (Stolz, 2005).

T-visa programs have been criticized by some as “free green cards” with potential for abuse and fraud (Allen, 2004). Other groups have expressed concerns that illegal immigrants may exploit the policies and use “the trafficking defense” to avoid criminal prosecution for unauthorized immigration and prostitution (Chuang, 2004). Despite these concerns about potential misuse of the program, actual utilization remains extremely low (Webber & Shirk, 2005). From 2001-2005, only 752 trafficking victims applied and 491 received T-visas (p. 1). It is believed that these numbers represent less than 1% of all trafficking victims (Chuang, 2004). The reasons for under-representation are not well understood. Some believe the emphasis on criminal justice needs to prosecute traffickers as opposed to victim needs and protections are factors. Victims may risk retaliation from traffickers, risk deportation by officials unfamiliar with policies, and face continued stigmatization.