What is human trafficking?

•  Victims are usually brought to the U.S., lured by false promises of employment or education, and subsequently forced into prostitution, agricultural work, sweatshop labor, and housekeeping with little or no compensation.
• Traffickers imprison their victims through coercive and abusive techniques, including false debts, physical violence, sexual assault, threats of harm to family, and threats of deportation.

How many victims of trafficking are there?

• The U.S. State Department estimates that between 600,000 and 800,000 persons are trafficked across international borders each year, while between 14, 500 and 17,500 persons are trafficked into the U.S.
• Heartland Alliance has served over 70 victims of trafficking in the last 3 years.

• Approximately half of our trafficking clients were victims of sex trafficking and half were victims of forced labor.
• Although men are also victims, women and children are especially at risk for being trafficked.
• Most of our clients come from Latin America, others come from Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa

• Victims are especially vulnerable to sex trafficking in Illinois’s large entertainment industry, which includes massage parlors and strip clubs; victims are also likely to be found in other low wage industries, like food service, construction, and agriculture.

• Congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (VTVPA) in 2000 making it a federal crime and offering protections for victims
• In 2005, Illinois amended its criminal code and created three new trafficking crimes that have enhanced penalties for traffickers and provide victims with protection, services, and restitution:
  • Involuntary servitude
  • Sexual servitude of a minor
  • Forced labor

• The VTVPA of 2000 created specific protections for victims of trafficking by providing them with legal status, public benefits, and work authorization -- conditioned on their cooperation with law enforcement.

What is the role of the National Immigrant Justice Center's Counter-Trafficking Program?

• Our program helps trafficking victims in their recovery by providing legal services and case management services, assisting clients in finding counseling, housing, emergency care, employment assistance, and access to government benefits.
• The NIJC is engaged in outreach efforts to improve public awareness of the problem of human trafficking.
• These services are critical to ensuring that trafficking victims are not penalized for crimes they may have been forced to commit, and can seek livelihoods free from violence and abuse.
• So far, our program has participated in over 200 trainings and presentations across the Midwest and trained over 200 attorneys and over 1,500 law enforcement individuals on human trafficking issues in the Chicagoland area.

• Of all the Midwestern states, Illinois has the largest population of adults and children who do not speak English and language is often a barrier preventing escape.
• Among other Midwest ports of entry, Chicago experiences the highest volume of arriving immigrants and as such is more likely to be a point of entry for trafficking victims.
• Currently, Illinois and Minnesota are the only two Midwestern states to have state laws criminalizing human trafficking.