National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) FY 2016
HHS/Administration for Children and Families
THE NEED FOR FUNDING AND REPORT LANGUAGE
$1,600,000 for the Administration of Children and Families to support the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) as authorized by section 107(b)(1)(B) of the 2000 TVPRA as amended (22 U.S.C. 7105(b)(1)(B)).
Need
The NHTRC is a national, toll-free hotline, available to answer calls from anywhere 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year. The hotline is used to collect tips on human trafficking cases, to connect victims with anti-trafficking services in their area, and to provide training and technical assistance and specific anti-trafficking resources. The NHTRC receives calls and text messages and provides services to both domestic and foreign victims of human trafficking. The NHTRC has been funded previously by the amounts appropriated to the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the level of $800,000 per year.
Funding to the NHTRC has plateaued while call volume continues to grow. In 2008, the NHTRC received 5,748 calls, and in 2013 it received 31,939 calls. The NHTRC provides assistance to victims seeking shelter, case management, and legal services. The NHTRC collects and provides valuable data on the prevalence of victims in the United States, as well as on human trafficking trends. The NHTRC has identified 19,724 cases of human trafficking since 2007.
Continuing to fund NHTRC out of ORR is not sustainable. The increased call volume of the NHTRC requires an increase in funding that cannot be sustained within the ORR budget. Therefore, to better assist in the identification of victims and access to services, we request $1,600,000 for the NHTRC.
Solution
To support the NHTRC in the identification of victims and access to services, ATEST requests the following report language.
Proposed Report Language
The Committee recommends $1,600,000 to the Administration for Children and Families to support the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) as authorized by section 107(b)(1)(B) of the 2000 TVPRA as amended (22 U.S.C. 7105(b)(1)(B)).