Human Trafficking Briefing
Human trafficking is a global problem affecting millions of people who are illegally lured into forced labor and sexual exploitation through force, fraud, or coercion.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimates that human trafficking is second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of transnational crime, generating billions of dollars per year in illicit profit. As one of the fastest-growing criminal industries in the world, trafficking impedes national and international economic growth.
In an increasingly interconnected world, it is no longer a matter of if a business will come into contact with trafficking but when. Businesses face an economic, legal, and reputational risk if they engage in such conduct.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business organization representing companies of all sizes across every sector of the economy, established the Task Force to Eradicate Human Trafficking. The task force is an advisory group made up of members who work with the federal government and the private sector to develop commonsense solutions and speak with one voice.
As part of the Chamber’s advocacy efforts, this publication highlights relevant laws, executive orders, treaties, and conventions in the international human rights context. It illustrates a range of laws applicable to companies with operations in the U.S. or U.S.-based companies with facilities abroad.
The first section of this publication, Federal Laws, highlights human trafficking rules applicable to companies in the U.S. The next section, International Laws, provides an overview of human trafficking treaties and conventions, as well as mandatory supply chain due diligence laws in Europe.
>> Up Next: Chapter 1 // Federal Laws
