Policy/Program Evaluation

As stated in previous sections the goals as laid out by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act follow what are called “the three P’s”: prevent, protect, and prosecute. The policy aims to prevent those who are at risk or vulnerable to being enslaved. The U.S., by passing this bill, wants to protect those who have already fallen victim to sex slavery but have been recovered from the trade. Protection is two-fold, offering security by way of the government but also providing rehabilitation or restoration to life. Prosecution comes to those that are identified as traffickers by way of harsh federal penalties (Administration for Children and Families,n.d.). These three goals are the overarching provisions of this bill and as one may expect much falls under such a broad goal base.

Major criticisms that arise regarding this policy include that lack of attention to the underlying problems that are eliciting the demand for sex trafficking. Such issues include weak economies which induce desperation in those who are affected by it most severely. A global market is suspect, which in relation to social connectivity is good, but in congruence with detection of illegal practice is far more complex. Restrictive immigration policies in certain countries limit the opportunity for survival for some. Suppose a woman is residing in a country and struggling to survive due to the effects of a weak economy, the neighboring country would provide more opportunity to thrive, but their immigration policy is limiting. She would be considered at risk to slavery because of her predicament. Much could be prevented if issues such as the global market, weak economies, and restrictive immigration policies were combated with this act (Council on Foreign Relations, n.d.).

Prosecution is another big concern when examining the effectiveness of this policy. One has to be reminded that those that are trafficking are making substantial profit; traffickers can afford the best attorneys. Unlike some populations, for example those on death row who are generally lower class, this offender is liable to have quite a large income making for great odds when calculating the probability of a lesser punishment. Traffickers are also hard to track due to the global nature of this trade. And what of the trafficker after they are prosecuted? Should there be rehabilitation and job-skill training for them as well? If rehabilitation was provided perhaps the probability of prevention could be increased.

Protection seems to be the most advanced in terms of meeting expectations of the proposed act. Once the victims are in hand, rehabilitation and counseling can be administered. The author suggests a possible need for more organizations that specialize in this specific form of crisis counseling.

The act needs a lot of work. There are many reasons as to why this is so. The act is new and the passage of time tends to reveal areas of needed change. The crime the act is trying to prosecute and prevent is fairly underground, meaning it is well hidden because of its illegality. So as new research is done perhaps creative and effective means of meeting the original goals (prevention, protection, and prosecution) can be developed