What It Means for Survivors

Every year, the U.S. State Department releases its Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report). The report is the main document our government uses to measure how countries are responding to human trafficking, forced labor, and sex trafficking. It ranks countries, including the U.S. itself, and calls out where progress is being made and where people are still being left behind.

This year’s report, released in late September, feels especially heavy. Not only because of what’s inside, but also because of what’s missing.

Read the report online here: 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report – United States Department of State

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Why the TIP Report Matters

The TIP Report isn’t just a government formality. It’s one of the few tools survivors and advocates can point to when asking for accountability. It gives us language, numbers, and evidence.

• It ranks governments into tiers, from Tier 1 (meeting minimum standards) down to Tier 3 (failing to act).
• It calls out gaps in law enforcement, victim support, and prevention.
• And it offers recommendations that, if taken seriously, could change lives.

But this year, the cracks are showing.

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Signs of Strain

The most obvious issue is how delayed and thin this report feels. That’s because the TIP Office has lost more than 70% of its staff. When you cut the people doing the work, the work suffers. Survivors and advocates are the ones who pay for those cuts.

The U.S. itself gets credit for some steps forward:

• Blocking imports made with forced labor, using the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
• Updating rules for guest workers, who are often at risk of labor trafficking.
• Improving access to T-Visas for foreign-born survivors.

And then there’s the erasure: the section on LGBTQ+ trafficking survivors is gone. For years, the TIP Report has acknowledged that queer and trans people face heightened risks of trafficking and unique barriers to support. Stripping that out sends a chilling message: that their experiences don’t matter enough to count.

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International Shake-Ups

Beyond the U.S., some countries moved around the tier system. Brazil and South Africa were both downgraded to the Tier 2 Watchlist, a sign that they’re not meeting the standards. These shifts matter affect funding, diplomatic pressure, and global perception.

But again, with fewer staff writing these reports, how deep is the analysis? How much nuance is being lost?

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What It Means for Survivors

This year’s TIP Report leaves me with mixed feelings.

On one hand, it’s still the most powerful public document we have for holding governments accountable. It’s still something survivors and advocates can point to when demanding change.

On the other hand, it’s clear that the system producing this report is under strain. When staffing is gutted, when prosecutions fall, when survivor services lose funding, and when whole communities are erased from the narrative, that’s not just a bureaucratic issue. That’s people’s lives.

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Where We Go From Here

Here’s how I see it:

• Accountability matters. Survivors and advocates should keep using this report to push governments, including the U.S., to do better.
• Visibility matters. We need to speak out about what was erased, and remind people that LGBTQ+ survivors are here, and their experiences are real.
• Balance matters. Enforcement against traffickers must be paired with strong, trauma-informed support for survivors. One without the other doesn’t work.

The 2025 TIP Report shows both the promise and the fragility of this whole system. It gives us tools, but it also shows us where those tools are slipping out of reach. Survivors deserve more than words on a page. We deserve action that matches the scale of what we’ve endured.

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What You Can Do to Address Gaps in Policy and Action

The Trafficking in Persons Report provides global data and rankings, but survivors on the ground often see gaps that statistics and government statements don’t capture. Policies may look strong on paper while services remain underfunded, inaccessible, or unsafe for those who need them most. Here are ways you, as an individual, can help bridge that gap and push for real change:

Fund What Governments Do Not

• Support local survivor-led organizations, rape crisis centers, and legal aid offices in your state. These programs often operate on shoestring budgets despite being the frontline response. Even small monthly donations make a difference.
• Volunteer your time or skills to strengthen survivor services.

Hold Leaders Accountable

• Contact your state legislators and members of Congress. Ask them what they are doing to fully fund crisis centers, expand trauma-informed training for law enforcement, and ensure survivors of trafficking and sexual violence have access to housing and legal protection.
• Demand transparency in how your state reports trafficking cases, prosecutions, and survivor services. Public pressure works.

Challenge Harmful Narratives

• Speak out against myths and stereotypes that downplay survivor experiences.
• Share survivor-centered resources and voices to shift the public conversation.

Push for Survivor-Led Policy

• Advocate for policies that center survivor input. Survivors know what works and what fails. Encourage state and federal agencies to include survivor voices in policy-making, advisory boards, and funding decisions.
• Amplify the demand for long-term support: housing, healthcare, immigration relief, and education , not just emergency intervention.

Educate and Mobilize Locally

• Host or attend community events about trafficking and sexual violence to keep the issue visible beyond awareness months.
• Encourage schools, hospitals, and faith communities to adopt trauma-informed training and referral systems.

Connect the Dots

• Understand that trafficking, sexual violence, and domestic violence are connected to broader issues: poverty, racism, immigration policy, housing insecurity, and labor exploitation. Supporting policies that reduce these vulnerabilities helps prevent exploitation before it begins.

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Policy reports measure progress on paper. Real change comes when communities refuse to look away, when survivors are heard, and when ordinary people demand more than bare-minimum compliance. Your voice, your actions, and your solidarity matter.