On June 19th, the U.S. Department of State released its annual Trafficking in Persons report, which rates countries on their compliance with Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards. Quoting the International Labor Organization, the 2012 report states an estimated 20.9 million people are now victims of forced labor.

CRS’ slavery and human trafficking programs work to alleviate the kinds of conditions described in the report.