"Many of the people who are trafficked are pushed into it by poverty," said Ashley Garrett, a program manager for countertrafficking at the International Organization for Migration in Washington, D.C. "So restitution is important to make sure [victims] don't fall back into the same dire financial straits that made them so vulnerable in the first place."
Since the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act's passage, the U.S. Justice Department has charged 140 people with the crime of human trafficking. The figure represents a threefold increase over the previous three years. Of the 140 accused, 92 have been convicted.
In each case, victims were granted special legal status through T visas, special visas that allow victims to remain in the U.S. for three years and receive the same benefits as refugees.
When victims' T visas expire, they can apply for permanent residency, according to Avaloy Lanning, a project coordinator for the New Jersey Anti-Trafficking Initiative, a program of the International Institute of New Jersey.
Garret, of the International Organization for Migration, says conferring special visa status ensures that trafficking victims are not simply classified as illegal immigrants and deported. "You don't want to treat a victim as a criminal," she said. "So from a human rights point of view, this is important."
Garret also notes the practice makes sense from a law-enforcement point of view. "If victims are deported, the police lose their best evidence against the traffickers," she said.
Enabling victims to remain in the U.S. helps ensure their safety, advocates say. They note that U.S.-based traffickers often have networks that extend back to their victims' countries of origin, leaving victims vulnerable to persecution should they return.
Human trafficking experts see the practice as a modern form of slavery. "It's not the traditional slavery that was supported by law and an overt part of international economies, like you saw in the past," said Jordan, of Global Rights. "But victims of trafficking have no control over their lives. They are held against their will and forced to work without pay. From their point of view, it's slavery."
Some observers say the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act and the increased prosecution of traffickers is slowly making inroads on human labor exploitation in the U.S.
Bruggeman, the Boat People S.O.S. refugee advocate, said, "It's important to raise consciousness generally about the issue among hospital workers, people at church, educators, police—any social service provider. So that when they run into potential victims, they have an awareness of the problem and how to deal with it."
For related coverage, watch Interpol Investigates Tuesday, July 13, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel (U.S. only).
For more human-trafficking news, scroll down.
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