U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

Office on Trafficking in Persons

Doc No: OTIP-FS-16-02 Issuance Date: May 10, 2016

ASSISTANCE FOR CHILD VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING 

FACT SHEET 

BACKGROUND 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides assistance to victims of human 

trafficking in the United States, guided by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA), 

Preventing Sex Trafficking Act and Strengthening Families Act of 2014, and the Justice for Victims of 

Trafficking Act of 2015. The Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) within the Administration for 

Children and Families (ACF) was established to provide overall leadership of anti-trafficking programs 

and services including issuing Eligibility Letters, in accordance with the TVPA. 

A foreign national child victim of human trafficking, under the age of 18, is eligible for Federal and State 

benefits and services to the same extent as a refugee upon the determination by HHS to issue an Interim 

Assistance Letter or Eligibility Letter. 

U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents who are victims of a severe form of human trafficking do not 

need to obtain an official certification from HHS in order to access specialized services for victims of 

trafficking or any other Federal benefits and protections to which they are entitled (22 U.S.C. § 7105). 

FEDERAL DEFINITION OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING 

The TVPA defines “severe forms of trafficking in persons” (22 U.S.C. § 7102) as: 

 Sex trafficking: The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or 

soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act which is induced by force, fraud, or 

coercion. Any child under the age of 18 who has been subjected to a commercial sex act is a 

victim of trafficking regardless of force, fraud, or coercion. 

 Labor trafficking: The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a 

person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of 

subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery. 

FEDERAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS 

The TVPA requires Federal, State, or local officials to notify HHS within 24 hours after discovering a 

foreign national child under the age of 18 who may be a victim of sex or labor trafficking to facilitate the 

provision of assistance (22 U.S.C. § 7105). Officials should notify the Office on Trafficking in Persons by 

emailing ChildTrafficking@acf.hhs.gov or calling 202-205-4582. To the extent possible, officials should 

provide the child’s name, age, location, and country of origin; location of exploitation and suspected 

form of trafficking; and official’s contact information or other preferred point of contact. 
ASSISTANCE FOR FOREIGN CHILD VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING 

OTIP issues Interim Assistance Letters to foreign children who may have been subjected to sex or labor 

trafficking, providing potential victims with an up-to 90-day period of eligibility which may be extended 

for an additional 30 days. During that time, OTIP consults with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and nongovernmental organizations with expertise in 

human trafficking to inform the determination on whether the child is eligible for benefits and services 

as a victim of a severe form of human trafficking. 

OTIP issues Eligibility Letters to foreign child trafficking victims upon receiving credible information that 

the child was subjected to a severe form of human trafficking as defined by the TVPA. Unlike a foreign 

adult victim of trafficking, a child victim is not required to cooperate with law enforcement or receive 

Continued Presence or T visa from DHS as a condition for receiving an HHS Eligibility Letter. Eligibility 

Letters do not expire, but some benefits are time-limited. 

A child victim of trafficking with an Eligibility Letter who has no available parent or legal guardian in the 

United States is eligible for the Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) program through the HHS Office 

of Refugee Resettlement. Under the URM program, children are placed in licensed foster homes or 

other care settings according to individual needs. An appropriate State or local court also awards legal 

responsibility to the State, county, or private agency providing services. Children in the URM program 

receive the full range of services available to other foster children in the State, as well as special services 

to help them adapt to life in the United States and recover from their trafficking experience. 

REQUESTING ASSISTANCE

Anyone with information that a foreign minor may be a victim of human trafficking can request eligibility 

for federally funded benefits and services, on behalf of the child, by submitting a “Request for 

Assistance for Child Victims of Human Trafficking” form1to OTIP. The Request for Assistance must be 

received by OTIP prior to the potential victim’s 18th birthday. Requests for Assistance can be submitted 

by e-mail to ChildTrafficking@acf.hhs.gov. An OTIP Child Protection Specialist will respond to the 

requestor upon receipt and review of the request. Individuals can also contact an OTIP Child Protection 

Specialist at 1-202-205-4582 about a child who may be a victim of trafficking eligible for assistance. 

Victims of trafficking and service providers can also contact the National Human Trafficking Resource 

Center (NHTRC) for emergency assistance and referrals for specialized victim services. The NHTRC is a 

dedicated national, toll-free, confidential anti-trafficking hotline that is available 24 hours a day in more 

than 200 languages. Get help, report a tip, or request services by calling 1-888-373-7888 or visit 

www.traffickingresourcecenter.org. 

TRAFFICKING VICTIM VERIFICATION LINE 

Benefit offices can contact OTIP to verify the validity of Interim Assistance or Eligibility Letters or for 

more information about the benefits available to victims of trafficking by emailing 

Trafficking@acf.hhs.gov or calling 1-866-401-5510. Victims of trafficking and service providers can also 

contact the Trafficking Victims Verification Line if they encounter difficulty enrolling eligible victims of 

trafficking into appropriate benefit programs and services. 

 

1

The “Request for Assistance for Child Victims of Human Trafficking” form is available at: 

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/orr/request_for_assitance_form_feb_2015.pdf