NGOs and the Anti-Trafficking Movement: Advocacy and Service

Abstract

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have played a vital role in building and advancing the anti-trafficking movement in the USA. Anti-trafficking NGOs fulfill a variety of functions for communities in the pursuit of eradicating human trafficking and empowering survivors to rebuild their lives. Throughout the 15 years since the implementation of the first federal law on human trafficking, NGOs have made great progress, but continue to face significant challenges: NGOs across the country still struggle to navigate service gaps in working with underserved populations and providing less resourced services, such as mental health, substance use treatment, housing, and health care. A contributing factor to these difficulties is that the US anti-trafficking movement has largely used a criminal justice approach focused on trafficker prosecution and protection for trafficked persons. Shifting to a public health approach would help the field focus on comprehensive prevention, intervention, and rehabilitation efforts.