Human traffickers are using online scams to ensnare victims.

The United States is deploying digital technologies to catch them. “While trafficking is as old as humanity itself, perpetrators continue to evolve their methods,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the June 24 ceremony announcing the release  of the State Department’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.

“Around the world, trafficking networks target and recruit victims online — through social media, through dating apps, through gaming platforms,” he added. Trafficking networks cover their tracks by using cryptocurrencies and encryption.

For two decades, the TIP report has assessed global trends in human trafficking that exploits an estimated 27 million people worldwide for labour, services and commercial sex. The 2024 report warns of traffickers’ evolving methods  and details how law enforcement, nongovernmental organizations and activists are using technology to detect and disrupt traffickers.

To fight trafficking, the U.S. private sector and advocacy groups are:

  • Creating AI-enabled tools to detect trafficking operations.
  • Developing machine-learning initiatives to discover trafficking trends and tactics.
  • Rolling out mobile apps that inform people of their rights and provide information on wages and labour conditions.

The State Department works with other governments to combat human trafficking. On June 24 it announced a new partnership with Zambia to prevent trafficking and support survivors. Similar agreements are in the works with other countries, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Cindy Dyer said.  

“Trafficking is the very definition of a problem that no one nation can solve alone,” Blinken said. At the ceremony, Blinken honoured 10 TIP Heroes from around the world who have helped thousands escape trafficking and return to society.

These heroes will participate in the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) to meet and share best practices with Americans who are working to end human trafficking. Rosa Cendón has devoted her life to assisting trafficking victims in Spain.

A social worker and educator based in Barcelona, she leads the anti-trafficking group SICARcat and helped create a network of nongovernmental organization that offer shelter, protection and services for refugees. Her work has informed policies for protecting victims in Barcelona, Catalonia and beyond.

As the International Justice Mission’s national director in the Philippines, Samson Inocencio Jr. leads the nonprofit’s work with the government to identify and assist survivors. His contributions have led to 147 convictions for commercial sexual exploitation and 220 for online sexual exploitation since 2005.

Marcela Martinez, of Bolivia, convenes a network of 18,000 volunteers through the hashtag #RedAlertTempranaZar that has helped authorities locate 150 trafficking victims. Martinez lobbied for a new law that helps authorities fight trafficking.

Edith Murogo, founder and director of Kenya’s Centre for Domestic Training and Development, fights against human trafficking, migrant smuggling and child labor in Nairobi. She coordinates with social service providers to improve shelters for human trafficking victims and lobbies the Kenyan government for greater legal protections.

As director of the Anti-Human Trafficking Directorate of Iraq’s Ministry of Interior, Mustafa Ridha Mustafa al-Yasiri helps identify survivors and improve the social services they receive. He visits shelters to speak with survivors and identify their needs and accompanies them to court hearings.

Al Amin Noyon, of Bangladesh, was caught in a human trafficking scheme in 2007, and now manages the BRAC Migration Welfare Centre at Dhaka’s international airport. He assists trafficking survivors who return to Bangladesh and has supported more than 34,000 Bangladeshi trafficking survivors and migrants over the last 15 years. “Thousands of people owe their freedom to his efforts,” Blinken said.

Letitia Pinas has improved the Suriname Police Force’s Trafficking in Persons Unit’s ability to investigate suspects and identify and help victims. She created an emergency shelter for victims and educates the community about human trafficking schemes.

Oumou Elkhairou Niaré Samaké, a magistrate in Mali, led the development of the country’s new action plan to combat human trafficking. She pushed to criminalize human trafficking and increase prosecutions of hereditary slavery cases.

Marijana Savić, founder and director of the Serbian nongovernmental organization Atina, has supported survivors recovering from human trafficking and gender-based violence for two decades. Her work creates economic opportunities for survivors to prevent their re-victimization.

Maria Werlau, founder and director of the Free Society Project, documents stories of forced-labour survivors in Cuba. She has exposed dark aspects of Cuba’s medical missions, including violence, harassment and wage confiscation, as well as forced labor.