Human Trafficking

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) combats human trafficking by working with public and private sector stakeholders to empower transportation employees and the traveling public to recognize and report possible instances of human trafficking.

Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking

 

Training, Awareness, and Educational Materials

 

DOT Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking

 

Federal Coordination

DOT is a member of the President’s Interagency Task Force to Combat and Monitor Trafficking in Persons (PITF) and the Senior Policy Operating Group (SPOG).  The PITF is a Cabinet-level entity chaired by the Secretary of State created by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) to coordinate Federal efforts to combat trafficking in persons.  The TVPA, as amended in 2003, also established the SPOG, which consists of senior officials designated as representatives of the PITF members. The SPOG, chaired by the Department of State, coordinates interagency policy, grants and research, planning issues involving international trafficking in persons, and the implementation of the TVPA.   

• President's Interagency Task Force to Combat and Monitor Trafficking in Persons
• The National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, December 2021

Funding

DOT awarded over $3 million in grants through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to support state counter-trafficking efforts through driver’s license standards and programs, and $5.4 million in transit grants through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to address public safety, including human trafficking.  The Department's annual $50,000 Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award aims to incentivize innovative solutions to combat human trafficking in the transportation industry, and to share those innovations with the broader community. Learn more:

• FMCSA Driver's License Standards and Programs
• FTA Counter-Trafficking Transit Grants
• DOT Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award

Legislation

Several pieces of legislation have expanded DOT’s authority to combat human trafficking. These include expanding grant programs, requiring air carriers to train certain personnel, tracking air carrier training and tips, establishing the multimodal advisory committee, preparing a triennial advisory committee recommendations and best practices report, instituting a lifetime ban on Commercial Driver’s License holders who use a commercial vehicle to commit a severe form of human trafficking, and coordinating with transport entities on posting hotline reporting information. Learn more.

Federal Advisory Committee

The DOT Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking (ACHT) was reestablished on July 29, 2022 as a requirement of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) (P. L. 117-58).  The ACHT will submit triennial counter-trafficking reports with recommendations for countering human trafficking, an assessment of best practices by transportation stakeholders, and human trafficking violations involving commercial motor vehicles.   Learn more.

International Engagement

DOT continues to underscore the important role transportation ministries have in combating human trafficking in multilateral fora, including the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the International Transport Forum (ITF).  Over 50 APEC and ITF transportation ministers have committed to tackling the issue of human trafficking.  DOT led the development of comprehensive counter-trafficking strategies for ICAO’s 193 member States and APEC’s 21 member economies.  Learn more.

Report a Tip

-- In an Emergency, Call 911 --

Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of someone for the purposes of compelled labor or a commercial sex act through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. Where a person younger than 18 is induced to perform a commercial sex act, it is a crime regardless of whether there is any force, fraud, or coercion. Victims can be anyone from around the world or right next door: women and men, adults and children, citizens and non-citizens alike.

NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTLINE
Call: 1-888-3737-888   |   Text: 233733

- GET HELP and connect with a service provider in your area
- REPORT A TIP with information on potential human trafficking activity
- LEARN MORE by requesting training, technical assistance, or resources

The National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) is a national, toll-free hotline available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. The NHTH is not a law enforcement or immigration authority and is operated by a nongovernmental organization funded by the Federal government.

HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS (HSI) TIP LINE
1-866-347-2423 (U.S.)   |   1-802-872-6199 (International)

Call the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tip Line directly to report suspected human trafficking activity and get help. Highly trained specialists take reports from both the public and law enforcement agencies on more than 400 laws enforced by ICE HSI, including those related to human trafficking.