With over 27 million individuals enslaved worldwide, human trafficking
has increasingly commanded international attention, yet countless
traffickers are simultaneously evading identification. The international
community shaped our understanding of human trafficking with the
enactment of the Palermo Protocol. The United States contributed to this
framework by legislating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. This
Comment explores how effectively these two instruments frame our
conceptualization of trafficking victims and balance the shared goals of
preventing trafficking, protecting victims, and prosecuting traffickers. It
further examines the role the United States plays in shaping
international human trafficking standards through its annual release of
the Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report and President Obama's
Executive Order Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in
Persons in Federal Contracts. This Comment draws attention to the
downfalls of narrowly conceptualizing trafficking victims and prioritizing
prosecution over victim protection, while looking optimistically forward at
how the use of sanctions as an enforcement mechanism could be
efficaciously undertaken through the Executive Order