Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is an issue of international importance, affecting millions of individuals each year. According to the Palermo Protocol, human trafficking, or “trafficking in persons,” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.

As part of the New York State Office of the Attorney General's initiative to combat sex and labor trafficking, the Criminal Prosecutions Bureau has implemented a Task Force to investigate potential cases, prosecute perpetrators, and connect survivors with service providers who specialize in their unique needs. In addition, the Attorney General's Office maintains a Human Rights Trafficking Working Group that draws upon the resources and expertise of its Criminal Prosecutions, Labor and Civil Rights Bureaus along with the Office's Organized Crime Task Force to help ensure that trafficking matters are quickly investigated and prosecuted, and to identify the various civil, labor and criminal claims that may be pursued in each instance.

To report activity that you suspect is related to human trafficking, email the Attorney General's Human Trafficking division at human.trafficking@ag.ny.gov, or call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center’s 24/7 hotline at 1-888-373-7888.