Use all the powers of the Presidency.

The United States dialogue on modern slavery must be elevated, unequivocal and persistent, especially with countries where human trafficking is most prevalent. The next President and Secretary of State could send a powerful signal by keeping the issue on the high level agenda. From experience, we know that serious engagement by senior U.S. government officials can drive rapid, concrete action by lagging governments. We should use our foreign assistance, convening power and power within international financial institutions to promote enforcement of anti-trafficking laws.

Support business incentives.

Suppliers of goods made with forced labor should be held accountable and must take steps to remove modern slavery from their supply chains. While supply chains can be very complex, multinational corporations routinely monitor complex supply chains to ensure product quality and enhance profitability. This diligence and creativity should be extended to addressing human trafficking. Public policy should provide incentives that reward diligence and exact costs for negligence or malfeasance.

Establish programs to protect particularly vulnerable populations.

Targeted safe places and appropriate services that address the unique vulnerabilities of children and runaway and homeless youth to sex and labor trafficking are critical and critically underfunded. Migrant or foreign workers are also highly susceptible to human trafficking. To address the potential for fraud in the recruitment of foreign workers, foreign labor contractors should be prohibited from charging recruitment fees to workers, subjected to increased transparency measures, and clear, regularly enforced and effective remedies for violations. They should also ensure core rights for all temporary work visa holders including whistle-blower protections, visa portability and the right to change employers. Human trafficking is a human rights abuse that cuts across all ages, ethnicities, and genders worldwide and programming to address prevention, protection and access to justice should be made available to all who are vulnerable to this crime.

Strengthen efforts to prevent human trafficking.

The U.S. government has many tools to address the root causes of vulnerability to trafficking through development and humanitarian assistance. However, many of these tools go underutilized and underfunded. The United States should seek to integrate anti-trafficking efforts into wider U.S. foreign assistance programs and continue to find ways to comprehensively address all forms of trafficking through U.S. foreign assistance and domestic programs that address the root causes of vulnerability to trafficking and exploitation.

Ensure protection, inclusion, and support for all victims of human trafficking.

It is essential that survivors of human trafficking are recognized as victims and not criminalized for the crimes they are forced to commit by their exploiters. Additionally, efforts must be made to promote and elevate survivor voice; including survivors at all levels and stages of government decision and policy-making. Most importantly, survivors require and deserve access to comprehensive, trauma-informed services necessary to ensure survivor healing. ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Ensure accountability and learning through measurement.

The U.S. government should take the lead in promoting measurement of trafficking for sexual exploitation and forced labor and programs aimed at ending all forms of modern slavery. Investing in measurement is essential to designing good policies and programs, learning from experience and accountability. The U.S. government could make a tremendous contribution by providing the resources and political support needed to measure change.”