The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003 (TVPRA 2003), Pub. L. 108-193, signed into law by President Bush on December 19th, 2003, reauthorized the TVPA and added responsibilities to the U.S. Government's anti-trafficking portfolio. In particular, the TVPRA 2003 mandated new information campaigns to combat sex tourism, added refinements to the federal criminal law provisions, and created a new civil action that allows trafficking victims to sue their traffickers in federal district court. In addition, the TVPRA 2003 required an annual report from the Attorney General to Congress. This report was mandated to provide information on the following U.S. Government activities to combat trafficking in persons:
- The number of persons in the United States who received benefits or other services under section 107(b) of the TVPA in connection with programs or activities funded or administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Labor, the Board of the Directors of the Legal Services Corporation, and other appropriate federal agencies during the previous Fiscal Year;
- The number of persons who had been granted "continued presence" in the United States under TVPA section 107(c)(3) during the previous Fiscal Year;
- The number of persons who applied for, had been granted, or had been denied T non-immigrant status or otherwise provided status under section 101(a)(15)(T)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(T)(i) during the previous Fiscal Year;
- The number of persons who were charged or convicted under one or more of sections 1581, 1583, 1584, 1589, 1590, 1591, 1592, or 1594 of title 18, United States Code, during the previous Fiscal Year, and the sentences imposed against each such person;
- The amount, recipient, and purpose of each grant issued by any federal agency to carry out the purposes of sections 106 and 107 of the Act, or section 134 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, during the previous Fiscal Year;
- The nature of training conducted pursuant to sections 107(c)(4) during the previous Fiscal Year; and
- The activities undertaken by the Senior Policy Operating Group (SPOG) on Trafficking in Persons to carry out its responsibilities under section 105(f) of the TVPRA 2003 during the previous Fiscal Year.
On January 10th, 2006, President Bush signed into law the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (TVPRA 2005), Pub. L. 109-164. The TVPRA 2005 reauthorized the TVPA and authorized new anti-trafficking resources, including grant programs to assist state and local law enforcement efforts in combating TIP and to expand victim assistance programs to U.S. citizens or resident aliens subjected to trafficking; pilot programs to establish residential rehabilitative facilities for trafficking victims, including one program aimed at juveniles; and extraterritorial jurisdiction over trafficking offenses committed overseas by persons employed by or accompanying the federal government. The TVPRA 2003, providing for the inclusion of information in the annual report to Congress on the amount, recipient, and purpose of each grant under sections 202 and 204 of the TVPRA 2005.
This report, the fourth required under the TVPRA 2003, is submitted to Congress in compliance with that directive. It details U.S. Government activities to combat TIP each Fiscal Year, with the focus on the categories above.
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