Human trafficking is both a growing global criminal concern
and humanitarian crisis. Current estimates indicate that as many as
twenty seven million persons are currently "enslaved" as a result of
illegal trafficking.' Each year upwards of four million individuals
are actively trafficked.2 Of this number, approximately 800,000 to
900,000 persons are trafficked across international borders. 3 Virtually
no State has been untouched by human trafficking; nearly
every State is a source State, destination State, or transit State.4
Moreover, human trafficking is one of most prosperous 5 and fastest-
growing, criminal enterprises. However, what makes trafficking a humanitarian crisis is not
merely its scale, but its purposes and mechanisms, which constitute
a direct assault on freedom and dignity.7 Trafficking at its core involves
the objectification of persons into illicit market commodities-
persons who, like chattel, are coercively bought, sold,
transported, exploited and ultimately discarded.8 In receiving
States, trafficked persons are forced to partake in an array of activities
ranging from bonded labor to organ harvesting; however, the vast majority of victims endure some form of sexual exploitation
(e.g., forced pornography or prostitution).