Human Trafficking Grantees Learning Community

In 2000, Congress enacted the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, authorizing the provision of benefits and services now available to victims of trafficking. Under this legislation, OVC received government funds to support the development or enhancement of victim service programs for alien victims trafficked into or within the United States who require emergency services. OVC services are intended to assist victims between the period of time they are encountered by law enforcement and their certification to receive other benefits through the Department of Health and Human Services.

In Fiscal Year 2003, OVC awarded funding to 11 nongovernmental organizations to provide comprehensive or specialized services to trafficking victims and grantee training and technical assistance for program support and enhancement. In July 2004 and in January 2005, OVC funded several more comprehensive trafficking victim service programs. As of September 2007, OVC is funding 32 grants for providing comprehensive services to victims of human trafficking. Beginning in 2004, OVC joined with the Bureau of Justice Assistance to support an expanded strategy of funding anti-trafficking task forces. This task force strategy focuses on enhancing law enforcement's ability to identify and rescue victims of human trafficking; providing law enforcement with the resources and training needed to identify and rescue victims of trafficking; and ensuring that comprehensive services are available wherever trafficking victims are found. These nongovernmental organizations and task forces are located throughout the United States. See a list of OVC-funded trafficking projects.

In January 2005, OVC launched the Human Trafficking Grantees Learning Community Web site for agency Trafficking Service Program grantees, grant monitors, and technical assistance providers. This password-protected site is the first of its kind for the field of organizations serving victims of human trafficking. Through the Human Trafficking Grantees Learning Community, grantees can access tools developed by OVC, including data collection forms; the Trafficking Information Management System; and technical assistance guides on needs assessment, evaluation, and other topics. Community members can also share their own resources such as outreach or training materials, engage in online discussions, and navigate the Web to other sites in the trafficking field.

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