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| Other short titles | William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act |
|---|---|
| Long title | An Act to combat trafficking in persons, especially into the sex trade, slavery, and involuntary servitude, to reauthorize certain Federal programs to prevent violence against women, and for other purposes. |
| Nicknames | Trafficking Victims Protection Act |
| Enacted by | the106th United States Congress |
| Effective | October 28, 2000 |
| Citations | |
| Public law | Pub. L. 106–386 (text)(PDF) |
| Codification | |
| Acts amended | 2003, 2006, 2008, 2023 |
| Legislative history | |
| |
| Major amendments | |
| Human Trafficking Prevention Act of 2022 | |
TheVictims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) is afederal statute passed in 2000 by theU.S. Congress and signed into law byPresident Clinton. The law was later reauthorized by PresidentsBush,Obama, andTrump. In addition to its applicability to US citizens, it authorizes protections for undocumented immigrants who are victims of severe forms oftrafficking and violence.[1]
In January 2023, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022 (TVPRA), was enacted as Pub. L. 117-348 (22 U.S.C. 7101et seq.).[2]
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act was renewed in 2003, 2006, and 2008 (when it was renamed the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008). The law lapsed in 2011. In 2013, the entirety of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act was attached as an amendment to theViolence Against Women Act (VAWA) and passed.[3] There are two stipulations an applicant has to meet in order to receive the benefits of theT-Visa. First, a victim of trafficking must prove/admit to being a victim of a severe form of trafficking, and second, must be a part of the prosecution of his or her trafficker. This law does not apply to immigrants seeking admission to the United States for other immigration purposes.
Pub. L. 115–93 (text)(PDF) reauthorized the TVPA in 2018, as part of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2017.[4]
Since the law requires the applicant to become part of the prosecution of his or her trafficker, trafficked persons may be fearful of retaliation upon the self or the family and thus serves as a major deterrent to individuals even considering application. The law contains provisions for the protection of those who are categorized as victims of human trafficking, primarily for sex, smuggling, and forced labor forms of exploitation.
The TVPA allowed for the establishment of the Department of State'sOffice to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, which coordinates with foreign governments to protect trafficking victims, prevent trafficking, and prosecute traffickers.[5]
On September 27, 2016,PresidentBarack Obama made aPresidential determination on Foreign Governments' Efforts Regarding Trafficking in Persons consistent with section 110 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. § 7107).[11]
On September 30, 2017,PresidentDonald Trump made a Presidential determination under22 U.S.C. § 7107 (Respect to the Efforts of Foreign Governments Regarding Trafficking in Persons).[12][13]
TVPRA has been used to establishcivil liability for U.S. corporations that benefit from forced labor in theirsupply chains.[14]
Ratha v. Phatthana Seafood Co. (2022). In 2016,Cambodian seafood workers sued a U.S. importer for benefiting from forced labor on Thai fishing vessels, alleging the importer knowingly purchased slave-caught fish, but the goods were never imported to the U.S. In 2022, theU.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the lower court's dismissal, ruling that civil liability requires actual benefit from completed trafficking acts, not attempts.[15] The U.S. Congress amended the TVPRA through the Abolish Trafficking Reauthorization Act (ATRA), and expanded liability to include those who "attempt or conspire to benefit" from the violations.[16] In March 2025, the Ninth Circuit issued an order for the case to be rehearden banc.[17]
Doe v. Apple Inc. (2024).Cobalt miners from theDemocratic Republic of Congo suedApple,Alphabet,Microsoft,Dell, andTesla for knowingly benefiting from child/forced labor in cobalt mining supply chains.[18][19] In 2024, theU.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit affirmed the lower court's dismissal onextraterritoriality grounds and held that TVPRA's civil remedy (18 U.S.C. § 1595) does not extend abroad unless tied to U.S.-based conduct.[20][19]
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