Human trafficking is the forced movement, abduction, transportation or sale of people. Human trafficking is a serious federal crime as well as a strongly prosecuted international crime.
Similar to chattel slavery, trafficked humans are often pressed into illegal labor in extremely dangerous conditions or used for sexual exploitation.
Human trafficking is widely considered a major human rights abuse.
Modern-day slavery is practiced around the world through human trafficking. While many experts estimate that between 20 and 50 million people are trapped in slavery today, stopping human trafficking has become a priority for law enforcement organizations across the globe.
For purposes of criminal prosecution, the definition of human trafficking is commonly expanded to cover a diversity of actions facilitating the forced removal of humans including coercion, fraud, recruitment activities and the logistical steps necessary for underground networks.