ABSTRACT

The United States of America’s stance on human trafficking has been shaped over the course of three presidencies, largely under the direction of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. The Office (more commonly known as the Trafficking in Persons, or TIP Office) was established through the passage of anti-trafficking legislation debated and enacted during the Clinton administration. It began to produce annual reports and a “watch list” of poorly performing nation states under George W. Bush, and celebrated its tenth anniversary under the leadership of Barack Obama.