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Legislative Library

ATIP Policy Library

A global catalog of foundational laws to stop human exploitation and trafficking.

Human exploitation and trafficking is perhaps the greatest human rights crisis of our time, affecting an estimated 50 million people globally. Traffickers exploit vulnerabilities, poverty, conflict, online access and lack of rule of law, using force, fraud, or coercion. Governments play a critical role in disrupting trafficking networks, supporting survivors, and holding perpetrators accountable. This ATIP (Anti-Trafficking in Persons) library provides education about legislation and new laws from around the world to help lawmakers craft effective policy responses.

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Legislation Categories

Foundational laws grouped by the policy problem they address.

Core legislation that defines human trafficking, forced labor, and modern slavery. These laws often establish national task forces, criminal penalties, and survivor protections.

Honoring 25 Years of Global and National Progress in the Fight Against Human Trafficking

2025 marks a historic milestone: the 25th anniversary of both the United Nations Palermo Protocol and the United States Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). These foundational frameworks laid the groundwork for modern anti-trafficking efforts, creating a shared global and national language to define trafficking, protect victims, and prosecute traffickers.

Adopted in 2000, the Palermo Protocol was the first international agreement to establish a comprehensive definition of human trafficking and to promote coordinated action among countries. That same year, the United States enacted the TVPA, a landmark law that established the 3P paradigm of Prevention, Protection, and Prosecution as the cornerstone of U.S. anti-trafficking policy.

Over the past 25 years, these initiatives have helped codify trafficking laws in more than 170 countries, supported the development of victim services and non-punishment principles, enabled cross-border collaboration against organized crime, and centered survivor voices in the evolution of law, policy, and advocacy.

  • U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) , established 2000, reauthorized multiple times. Defines sex and labor trafficking, provides survivor protections (T-visas, continued presence), requires prevention and interagency coordination, and establishes the TIP Office and Trafficking in Persons Report.
  • UN Palermo Protocol (2000), the global standard on human trafficking. Establishes an internationally agreed definition, promotes cross-border cooperation and victim-centered response, and is the basis for national laws in over 170 countries.
  • UK Modern Slavery Act (2015), the first law of its kind in Europe. Requires companies over £36M to report on supply chain efforts and includes survivor compensation, an independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, and child advocates.
  • 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report

What is illegal offline should be illegal online. Legislation addressing grooming, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), livestream exploitation, and platform accountability. This is a rapidly growing area of legislation; these are a few of the bills which have passed into law.

Laws that mandate training, education campaigns, or business certification programs to prevent trafficking.

Prevention and public awareness provisions are our strongest anti-trafficking defense because they shift the fight from reaction to protection. While prosecution and survivor services remain vital, the ultimate goal is to stop trafficking before it starts. Laws that focus on education, awareness, and training address the root vulnerabilities that traffickers exploit and build stronger, safer communities.

Survivor-centered laws that provide criminal record relief and compensation for crimes committed as a direct result of trafficking.

For survivors of human trafficking, freedom is only the first step. True justice requires laws that protect survivors from punishment for crimes they were forced to commit and provide meaningful pathways to healing, restitution, and full reintegration into society.

  • US Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (not yet law) and the Non-Punishment Principle, enabling vacatur and expungement of convictions linked to trafficking victimization.
  • Netherlands’ compensation fund for victims, providing financial compensation regardless of prosecution outcomes.
  • The Nordic Model, criminalizing buyers and third parties while decriminalizing those prostituted, coupled with exit support programs.

Laws requiring companies to disclose efforts to prevent forced labor and trafficking in supply chains.

Human trafficking and forced labor are embedded in global supply chains that produce the goods we use every day. Laws requiring corporate transparency and accountability make clear that profit cannot come at the expense of human freedom.

Orphanage trafficking is the recruitment of children into residential care facilities for profit, often through falsified documents and false promises to families. Despite being portrayed as “orphans,” the majority of these children have living parents. This exploitation is fueled by foreign aid, illicit adoption practices, and international voluntourism, creating a cycle of trauma and abuse.

With an estimated 8 million children in orphanages worldwide, many in unregistered or unlawful facilities, this hidden form of trafficking undermines child protection systems and international human rights commitments.

  • Lawmakers Guide to Stopping Orphanage Trafficking
  • Legislator Action Briefing
  • Recognize orphanage trafficking as a form of modern slavery in legislation, with strong penalties and regulations against orphanage tourism and volunteering.
  • Regulate charities’ overseas activities and volunteering with children across all sectors, and prohibit orphanage tourism.
  • Develop data collection, analysis and sharing to track progress and advance international cooperation.

Child marriage, defined as any formal or informal union where at least one party is under 18, remains a global human rights concern. Early marriage is linked to heightened risks of exploitation, abuse, trafficking, interrupted education, and long-term health consequences. Laws regulating the minimum age of marriage are a critical tool to protect children, prevent coercion, and uphold their rights.

  • US federal law sets no minimum age for marriage; marriage laws are determined by each state. S.4990 Child Marriage Prevention Act of 2024 was introduced but not passed.
  • As of 2025, only a few states ban marriage under 18 with no exceptions; most allow minors to marry with parental consent, judicial approval, or both.
  • The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as anyone under 18, and CEDAW calls on states to set a minimum marriage age of 18.
  • Over 100 countries set the minimum legal marriage age at 18, though exceptions and weak enforcement persist.

New & Emerging Legislation

Stay updated with the most recent legal developments.

Document Archive

Search and filter every report, toolkit, statement and letter in the library.

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