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Cierra Aguirre
Policy Paper B
Social Work 4710

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Social Problem
Women and children are being kidnapped or tricked into situations where they are forced
to perform sexual activities while their owners profit billions of dollars.
Sex trafficking involves the use of violence, threats, lies, debt bondage, and other forms
of coercion to force women, men and children to engage in commercial sex against their will,
(Polaris,2013). Sex Trafficking is a threat to human rights. It promotes the breakdown of
families and communities, fuels organized crime, deprives countries of human capital,
undermines public health, creates opportunities for extortion and subversion among government
officials, and imposes large economic costs, (Shields, S., 2003). All of this is happening, and
the criminal behind it makes an extremely large profit. Trafficking as a whole brings in around
$32 billion dollars a year (CNN, 2015) .
Trafficking Victims Protection Act
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) was passed in 2000 by Bill Clinton. As
stated in the law, the purpose of it is to combat trafficking in persons, a contemporary
manifestation of slavery whose victims are predominantly women and children, to ensure just
and effective punishment of traffickers, and to protect their victims (Victims of Trafficking and
Violence Protection Act, 2003). The main aspects of this act were prevention, protection, and
prosecution. The act focused on these three things in hope to fight against human trafficking.
The TVPA was passed and reauthorized multiple times. It was reauthorized in 2003,
2005, and 2008. Each reauthorization brought about new rules and procedures in combatting
human trafficking. It also addressed the victims and how to make their lives easier and less
traumatic after being involved in human trafficking. It included educating the public about the

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issue, implementing programs that would make the transition back into normal life easier on the
victims. It also addressed issues dealing with the trafficker and how they are handled.
Policy Alternative
The TVPA has shown progress in battling international sex trafficking, but it has been
less effective in aiding victims in the United States, (Rieger, A., n.d.). It was created to help put
an end to the issue as well as helping the victims. However, they made the requirements so hard
to meet that it did not work for most of the victims. The policy alternative being discussed here
will put more of an emphasis on the criminalization of the traffickers and the assistance to the
victims.
Before the TVPA, there was no assistance available to the victims. If discovered, the
women were labeled criminals for participating in prostitution and illegal immigration, (Rieger,
A., n.d.). This means that the women who were brought here and forced to do violent and sexual
crimes against their will were prosecuted as criminals. The traffickers were also punished but
with very little consequences. It was also more challenging to prosecute the traffickers , since
this is such a new issue. There was many ways that the criminal could get out of trouble, since
there were no laws stating how to deal with human trafficking.
The TVPA does provide resources to the victims of human trafficking in order to help
them reach new opportunities. However, only the victims of severe trafficking can take
advantage of the benefits that are available to the victims. According to the TVPA, severe
trafficking is sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act induced by force, fraud, or coercion,
or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years, or the recruitment,
harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or serves, through the use
of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt

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bondage, or slavery, (Rieger, A., n.d.). In order to be considered a victim of severe trafficking
must be approved by the Department of Health and Human Services. After this, the victim
becomes eligible for the resources.
In the policy alternative, I would not make it so difficult for victims to be approved to be
assisted. By making the requirements less intense, there would be more assistance available to
the victims who need it. There would also be stressed importance of social support services, such
as community therapy groups and classes that help the victim deal with their trauma from the
trafficking they experienced. These new programs would be funded by grants and fundraising
that is done by the people involved with providing assistance to the victims and the victims
themselves.
In order to receive benefits of the TVPA, the victim must assist in the prosecution of their
trafficker. If a victim refuses to help, they will be denied the benefits that could help them, and
many victims fear retaliation from their traffickers, (Rieger, A., n.d.). This is because many of
the traffickers threaten to harm the individual or their families if they choose to seek help. This
puts the victim at risk and her family and friends as well. Since trafficking is such a large issue, it
has many ties in the criminal fields. This makes it really easy for the trafficker to retaliate. It also
acts as a way to make the victim relive the trauma over and over again. Many victims do not
want to take the risk and help persecute their offender, knowing that their life and the lives of
others could be at risk.
This requirement would be eliminated from the act. If a victim chooses to help punish
their trafficker, they would be able to. However, there would be no requirement on the victims
part. A victim should not have to relive trauma and feel as though they are putting themselves
and their loved ones at risk in order to criminally punish a person. Although this action may

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make it easier to prosecute the criminal, it is traumatic and has the chance of leaving the victim
worse off than they were. It also leaves the possibility of the victim or those near to them being
injured or murdered. If this happens, they were just a means to an end of capturing their offender.
The Department of States requires that sentences should involve significant jail time,
with a majority of cases resulting in sentences on the order of one year of imprisonment or
more, (OFFICE TO MONITOR AND COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS, 2008).
However, if the crime of the individual is severe, they may be punished in ways that better fit.
The standard punishment used is at least four years deprivation of liberty, (OFFICE TO
MONITOR AND COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS, 2008). Although this addresses the
crimes, it is not a severe enough punishment. For such a large human rights violation, four years
is not enough.
In the Policy Alternative, the punishment for traffickers would be increased. It would
include longer prison time. A human life is worth more than one year or four years in prison. The
minimum would be ten years, with a longer sentence for those who are more involved and
dangerous to individuals. The traffickers would be held in isolation, with no possibility of early
parole or the opportunity of education while incarcerated. The people involved in trafficking
know exactly what they are doing, and are doing it for the large profits that come with it. Under
the new policy, the traffickers would be punished for their actions.
The new policy would also call for higher fines associated with the crime. Since human
trafficking is such a profitable crime, there should be no reason that the fines are so low. The new
policy would allow for the use of the confiscated money from the criminal. Some of this money
could be used for the education programs that would be created for the victims, and some of it
could go towards the federal agencies that deal with the crime. A portion of the money could also

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be used to train officials on human trafficking and how the traffickers work. The criminals have a
lot of money since they participate in such profitable actions, and the money that is imposed as a
fine could be used to give back to the community after the person committed such a terrible and
harmful crime.
This new Policy Alternative would be called the Punishment of Traffickers and Growth
of the Victims, and it would be an addition to the TVPA. As explained, it would include easier
access to the benefits that are provided under the TVPA. It also gets rid of the requirement that
victims must assist in the prosecution of their trafficker in order to receive any sort of benefit. It
makes it easier for victims to access assistance in order to recover from that traumatic experience
that is human trafficking.
The Punishment of Traffickers and Growth of the Victims also calls for the creation of
new programs. These programs will provide social support to the victims. There will be support
groups that allow the victims to get the chance to talk about their feelings and their experiences.
It will also create programs that allow the victims to get an education and provide them with the
opportunity to grow as a person. There will also be programs and groups that advocate for human
trafficking and spread education to the general public about the negative effects and the danger
of it. The new policy realizes that advocacy and education are two important factors in the
ending of human trafficking. In adding the Punishment of Traffickers and Growth of the Victims
to the TVPA strengthens the policy and makes the assistance to the victims better and more
accessible and the prosecution of the traffickers more intense, as it should be.
Implementation
This policy and the change it requires would be implemented at the Federal, State, and
Local levels. Federally, the prosecution of the traffickers would have to be increased. This

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requires changes being made to the laws and statutes. At the state level, there would have to be
grants to allow the programs that provide assistance and education to the victims. The grants
would have to fit somewhere within the state budget, or they could come from private
organizations and companies. Locally, cities would have to carry out support groups and offer
education opportunities to the victims. There would also need to be educational opportunities for
law enforcement officials in regards to human trafficking and the victims.
Canada
The Canadian government strengthened their efforts against human trafficking. The
Canadian criminal code, section 279.01 prohibits all forms of human trafficking, prescribing
penalties of up to 14 years imprisonment, or life imprisonment in the case of certain aggravating
factors, such as kidnapping or sexual assault, (OFFICE TO MONITOR AND COMBAT
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS, 2014). There is also a mandatory minimum sentence for
trafficking of children.
Canada also has an Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) which prohibits
transnational human trafficking, which calls for the maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a
fine of about $1 million dollars, (OFFICE TO MONITOR AND COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN
PERSONS, 2014). The higher fines and prison sentences show that Canada has a better system
of punishing the criminals that act in human trafficking, it is more similar to the alternative
policy that was created and discussed earlier. It calls for more intense punishment of the
trafficker. With these rules in place, Canada had more traffickers that were found and punished.
Canada also aimed to educate individuals about human trafficking and the negative
effects of it. During the process of punishing the traffickers, some judges and prosecutors
showed knowledge of human trafficking. The educating aspect of the Canadian law is similar to

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the education part of the Alternative Policy discussed earlier. Educating people about human
trafficking is good and it has a positive effect in the punishment process. They showed
understanding of the subtle forms of coercion used by traffickers, which led them to categorize
trafficking cases as criminal charges rather than civil charges, (OFFICE TO MONITOR AND
COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS, 2014).
Since educating people on the topic had a positive effect in Canada, the education aspect
of the Alternative Policy would have a similar effect in the United States. By educating
individuals on the issue, you are spreading awareness about how truly awful it is and the
negative effects that it brings. It also shows that educating people increases the punishment
brought onto traffickers.
The policy has higher rates and more intense punishment, and it also involves educating.
The Canadian policy has similar attributes as the new policy discussed earlier. Since the policies
in Canada have proved to be effective, the United States has a lower risk of failure in the
implementation of the new policy. The success in Canada should serve as a model for the United
States in dealing with the issue.
Feasibility
The new policy would be difficult to enact due to the drastic changes it calls for, but it
could be done. Educating and advocacy would be the main way to spread the word about the new
policy in order to get it passed. The biggest issue would be the higher rates of punishment for the
criminals. Many people would oppose to expanding prison time for the criminals due to the high
cost of imprisonment. Other people may argue that the room in prisons needs to be saved for
murderers or similar offenders.

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Politically, it could be enacted. Organizations that fight human trafficking, such as the
Polaris Project would support it. The Polaris Project is made up of people of different positions,
such as governors, senators, social workers, lawyers, common people, and victims, etc. who
come together to raise awareness and fight against human trafficking. The Secretary of State,
John Kerry, states that amidst growing prosperity and development, no person should be
exploited through the use of force, coercion, or fraud, (Ellison, M.,2013). This shows that he
would support any policies in fighting the issue, because he agrees that it is awful and
unnecessary.
President Barack Obama also supports the fight against human trafficking. He has stated
that the fight against human trafficking is one of the great human rights cases of our time, and
the United States will continue to lead it, (Ellison, M.,2013). This shows that he cares about the
issues and human rights, and I am sure that he would agree that more assistance and education is
needed in order to fully get rid of this issue.
Politically, the people who would be against this policy are those that set the tough
requirements for victims of trafficking in the first place. For some reason, they did not believe
that every victim deserves the rights and benefits that are offered to victims of human trafficking.
They set the rules for a reason and hold the victims up to higher standards. Although they believe
the TVPA is helping victims, they are only offering assistance to a handful of them, which is not
addressing the larger issue. Also, people and organizations who fight the imprisonment of
criminals would disagree with this policy. The cost of incarceration for an individual in 2014 was
$30,619.85 for one year, (Prisons Bureau, 2015). Many people do not think that taxpayers should
have to pay for the imprisonment of criminals. They would not want to pay for longer sentencing

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and jail time for traffickers. That would end up costing billions of dollars, and these people
would say that it is not fair and not worth it.
Economic Feasibility
This policy alternative would be pricey. The most costly aspect of the policy alternative
would be the cost of imprisonment of the traffickers. It would come from taxpayers money just
like the current imprisonment costs come from. The other costs involved in the policy include the
cost of running the education and support groups for the victims and the general public. There
are costs associated with advocacy and education of the public. These costs include those of
creating flyers, running events and fundraisers, and advertisements of the prevention of
trafficking. These costs can be covered by grants and by the money raised through fundraisers.
The support groups can be funded by the money that is taken from the traffickers after
they are captured. Since it is such a profitable act, the officials should take some of the profit
from the traffickers after their capture. This money can be used to be pay for the support groups
and other assistance offered to the victims. It can also be used to pay the group leaders, such as
social workers, and any officials that are dealing with the criminals and the process of putting
them in prison and taking their belongings. Although it is different from usual, trafficking is a
human rights violation. The profit that is made from violating individuals rights should go back
into the economy in order to help in the fight against human trafficking.
Administration
The TVPA is under the U.S. Department of State, specifically under the Secretary for
Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. Since the new policy alternative, the
Punishment of Traffickers and Growth of the Victims, is under the TVPA, it would fall within the
same department. There is a specific office that deals with this issue, since it is such a strong and

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dangerous violation of human rights. This office is known as the Office to Monitor and Combat
Trafficking in Persons. This office is in charge of handling all issues related to the issue and
putting an end to it.
The new policy would also involve working with the Department of Justice. Within this
department, there is current research being done on how to find victims and how to improve the
law enforcement working with the victims, ( U.S. Department of State, n.d.). This is the perfect
department to partner up with. With the research they are doing, the department would be able to
assist with the victim assistance that is brought on by the Punishment of Traffickers and Growth
of the Victims. They are focusing directly on this, which is a major issue in the new policy.
Social Work Policy Values and Goals
One of the main aspects of the Code of the Social Work is to fight social injustice. Social
workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed
individuals and groups of people, (National Association of Social Workers, 2008). Since the
victims of human trafficking are victims of one of the largest human rights violations, they are
vulnerable. The social work code calls for the promotion of sensitivity and knowledge about
oppression and cultural and ethnic diversity. They are supposed to provide resources, services,
and information to the vulnerable victims. The new policy fits exactly within this code. The aim
is to assist the victims better than the current policy. It aims for the education and advocacy for
the vulnerable population of human trafficking victims.
Another code is the value of Service (National Association of Social Workers, 2008).
Social workers goal is to help the people in need while addressing a social problem at the same
time. This policy does both of these things in meeting this value. It assists the people in need

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while also fighting to combat the issue as a whole. Social workers have to serve as a resource to
the victims who are in need, and this policy allows them to do just that.
Implementation
Implementing this policy would require working closely with the people who implement
the TVPA. Since this new policy is an addition to an existing policy, it is easier to implement.
Instead of beginning from the bottom with no supporters, the new policy serves as a
partnership with the old one. It would require working with the same people, organizations,
and groups that support the TVPA.
The first ally in implementing this policy would be the Office to Monitor and Combat
Trafficking in Persons, which is a branch of the U.S. Department of State. This office leads the
United States global engagement against human trafficking, (U.S. Department of State. (n.d.).
Within this office is Ambassador Susan Coppedge, who runs the fight against human trafficking.
She directs the assessment of global trends, federal agencies, and funding issues within the
office. She works closely with nongovernmental organizations in working with community
outreach and providing services for victims. She would be the perfect ally with this new policy
and its implementation.
Another ally would be the Polaris Project, which is an organization that fights the issue of
human trafficking and provides resources and services to the victims. The Polaris Project is a
great example of a group of individuals and corporations coming together for the greater cause.
The Polaris Project supports the TVPA, releasing a statement saying the following, Polaris
Project welcomes the long-awaited passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection
Reauthorization Act. This law is the backbone of the U.S. Governments approach to human

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trafficking and modern day slavery at home and abroad, (Ellison, M., 2013) Since they are in
support of the TVPA, they most likely will support the new policy.
President Barack Obama is a huge supporter of anti-human trafficking legislation, and he
has made plenty of statements to prove it. He has stated that Our fight against human trafficking
is one of the great human rights cases of our time, and the United States will continue to lead it
(Obama, Barack., 2012). President Obama also took the initiative to proclaim that January be
National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. He also directed the efforts to
eliminate human trafficking double, which provides more assistance to victims. He would be the
ultimate ally for this policy. Since he is the President of the United States, his word and support
would be great for something like this policy.
Arguments for Changing Opinions
The biggest argument that could be used to change the opinions of those who are opposed
to the new policy would be that since human trafficking is such a profitable crime, why not use
the money from the criminals who are caught to assist the victims of the crime. The money was
earned from violating human rights, so the money should go towards strengthening and securing
the rights for the victims of this awful crime. Although it is not the traditional way to deal with
things, I think that this would be effective and useful.
Another argument could be that educating and advocacy is a great way to combat
trafficking. By educating the public on the signs of trafficking, they are becoming aware of the
signs and ways to prevent the act. By advocating, the policy is spreading awareness of the issues
and the negative effects that it has on individuals, the economy, and other things. Advocacy is
important because it can change community attitudes and misconceptions, assists people in
getting resources, and allows victims to have a voice in the issue. This new policy focuses on

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advocacy as a major part in the fight against human trafficking, and this argument provides
strong reasoning for just that, (Be Real., n.d.).
Personal Feelings
I think that this new policy, although different from most, would be effective. Human
Trafficking is such a violation of human rights, and there needs to be more focus and support that
goes towards the victims. The TVPA provided very little assistance to a small group of the
victims. The new policy offers assistance to victims including support groups and education
groups. I think that this is a great way to spread awareness of the issue and providing support to
the people who need it. I think that focusing on this will make a change and make the fight
against human trafficking much stronger.
I would act as an educator and a support group leader. I would love to lead the support
group and provide assistance to the victims. In doing this, I am directly assisting the victims. I
would want to act as an educator because I would love the opportunity to get to spread the word
about human trafficking and how awful it is. I also think that educating is the best way to fight
this issue. In spreading awareness of the strength, effects, and issues related to the issue, I am
directly fighting the issue. Education and advocacy is crucial to the fight of such a large crime,
and I would love to act in this way.
I would also like to act as an organizer of fundraisers. I think that raising money to go
towards this fight is important, and I would love be involved in it. This new policy would be
costly, but it is worth it in order to save the lives of millions of people. Fundraising is crucial to
this policy, because it provides money that may not be received through grants and other forms
of funding. It ensures that victims get their assistance and the education and advocacy takes place
as well.

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Although this policy is something out of the ordinary, I think it is a great idea. Using the
money that is profited from the traffickers in the fight against trafficking is a clever idea. Human
trafficking is something that costs millions of dollars, yet the criminals behind it profit billions of
dollars per year. Why not use the money that they profit to fight the issue? Focusing on the
education and advocacy is also important, because it helps strengthen the fight against the issue,
while also providing the support that is needed to the victims. This new policy would be a
challenge to implement, but I think that with the support of the allies noted above, it would be an
easy task to do.

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References
Be Real. (n.d.). Be Real Self - what is advocacy? Retrieved from
http://www.bereal.com.au/what-is-advocacy.htm
CNN. "The CNN Freedom Project." Accessed March 4, 2015
Ellison, Mary. (February 12, 2013). Washington D.C., Senate Passage of TVPRA Signals Strong
Commitment to Eradicate Human Trafficking. Retrieved October 25, 2015, from
http://www.polarisproject.org/media-center/news-and-press/press-releases/721-senatepassage-of-tvpra-signals-strong-commitment-to-eradicate-human-trafficking
National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of ethics (English and Spanish) - national
association of social workers. Retrieved from
https://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp
OFFICE TO MONITOR AND COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS. (2008, June 4).
Punishing trafficking offenders adequately. Retrieved from
http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2008/105378.htm
OFFICE TO MONITOR AND COMBAT TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS. (2014). Canada.
Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2014/226695.htm
Poverty and Trafficking in Human Beings: (S. Shield, Trans.). (2003). Retrieved October 25,
2015, from
http://www.government.se/contentassets/326c82b44c784d67860d51420086cbe9/povertyand-trafficking-in-human-beings
Prisons Bureau. (2015, March 9). Federal register | annual determination of average cost of
incarceration. Retrieved from https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/03/09/201505437/annual-determination-of-average-cost-of-incarceration

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Rieger, A. (n.d.). Harvard journal of law & gender. Retrieved from
http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/jlg/vol301/rieger.pdf
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003. (2003, January 7). Retrieved
October 25, 2015.
U.S. Department of State. (n.d.). Human trafficking research. Retrieved from
http://www.state.gov/j/tip/response/research/index.htm
U.S. Department of State. (n.d.). Office to monitor and combat trafficking in persons. Retrieved
from http://www.state.gov/j/tip/

***I would like to thank Leanne Aguirre for sharing her knowledge about the subject of human
trafficking with me over the years. Due to her generosity, I have learned a lot about the issue and
have a lot of insight and knowledge about the subject.