Human Trafficking I

Catalog description

This seminar will explore legal and social issues confronting both human trafficking survivors (foreign nationals and U.S. citizens) and law enforcement within the United States and globally. The seminar will begin with an overview of legal systems for prosecuting traffickers and legal systems affecting survivors of human trafficking, including international law, U.S. criminal, immigration law and labor law. The seminar will then be devoted to exploring advocacy efforts in the U.S. Congress and executive branch to date to hold traffickers accountable while providing assistance to victims of trafficking. In particular, the seminar will look at: U.S. Congress’ efforts to combat trafficking through the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, and executive branch action and federal appropriations funding to implement the Act. The class will also cover challenges to these efforts including inter-agency coordination, definitional issues and political and ideological cleavages within the broader anti-trafficking movement. The seminar will also focus on the Department of State's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, the Department of Justice's efforts to prevent and prosecute human trafficking and protect the victims of trafficking, the Department of Labor's efforts to better document and deter trafficking and the Department of Health and Human Services efforts to provide services to victims of trafficking, especially children.