The introductory section notes that over the past 10 years governments worldwide have made significant progress in understanding the nature and harms of trafficking in people. Human trafficking is portrayed in this report as a fluid phenomenon that responds to market demands, weakness in laws and penalties, and economic and development disparities. More people are trafficked for forced labor than for commercial sex. The crime is mostly characterized by the coercion and exploitation of people who initially entered a particular form of service or migrated willingly. Trafficking can occur without movement across borders, but many countries and some analysts still assume some movement across national borders is required for this crime to occur. No country has yet attained a comprehensive response to this widespread crime. Many countries are still learning about human trafficking and the best responses to it. After a detailed analysis of what is involved in trafficking in persons, policy priorities are outlined, and the methodology of this report is described. The report was prepared by the U.S. State Department, using information from U.S. embassies, government officials, nongovernmental organizations, international organizations, published reports, field trips to every region, and information submitted online. After presenting country narratives regarding the features of and responses to human trafficking, relevant international conventions are reviewed and minimum standards for a country's response to this crime are presented.