Blog

Follow us here to stay up to date on human trafficking policy, hear about training opportunities and events, and learn more about what’s happening in the anti-trafficking field.

Freedom Network USA |

FNUSA Denounces the Erasure of LGBTQ+ and Immigrant Survivors in the 2025 TIP Report

After months of advocacy from anti-trafficking organizations and Congress, the US Department of State finally released the 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report on September 30, 2025, three months after its legal deadline had passed. While the report includes most…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

FNUSA’s Statement on DOJ Cutting Off Funding for Services for 5,000+ Survivors

Today, on October 1, 2025, the US Department of Justice allowed over 100 trafficking victim services grants to expire without new grants in place to fill the gap. For FY25, Congress appropriated $88,000,000 to the DOJ to provide victim services,…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

Why FNUSA Prioritizes Non-Carceral Approaches to Addressing Human Trafficking

At FNUSA, we are committed to building a transformative approach to human trafficking, grounded in anti-racism and anti-oppression. In recent years, we have grappled with the impacts of the anti-trafficking movement being so closely tied to law enforcement, as survivors…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

FNUSA Condemns Attempts to Restrict Immigrant Survivors’ Access to Critical Legal Services

This week, on August 18, 2025, the Office of Justice Programs at the US Department of Justice sent a notice to some of its grantees that implies a portion of its grantees can no longer provide certain legal services to…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

Public Safety Starts with a Place to Call Home

Housing is one of our most basic human needs. Yet our government’s response to the absence of housing is to criminalize and displace the people who lack it, instead of addressing why they do not have it in the first…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

The Debt Bondage Repair Act: How We Can Help Survivors Access Credit Repair

The 2022 Debt Bondage Repair Act (DBRA) created a brand new process for survivors of trafficking to petition to remove negative credit histories related to their trafficking experience from their credit reports. The law laid the groundwork for survivors to…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

FNUSA Opposes Harmful Reconciliation Bill that Strips Protections for Survivors and Enables Trafficking

Last month, the House of Representatives passed a massive reconciliation bill designed to decimate immigrants’ rights, cut access to lifesaving social safety net protections for millions, dismantle Trafficking Victims’ Protection Act protections for unaccompanied children, and quietly strip immigrant trafficking…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

Freedom Network USA Announces Four-Day Work Week Trial

Freedom Network USA is excited to announce the implementation of a four-day work week trial beginning June 1, 2025. As an organization committed to creating a workplace that is equitable, people-first, and promotes intentional productivity, we are taking this step…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

FNUSA’s Statement on Funding Cuts to Lifesaving Victim Services Programs

This week, the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs cancelled numerous grants that serve survivors of crime without notice. These programs are essential to ensuring victims of trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, and hate crimes can access…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

Where We’re Headed: How Federal Policy Changes are Threatening Survivors Lives

Almost three months into the second Trump Administration, one thing is very clear: survivors are not a priority for this government. Policy changes, drastic cuts to lifesaving programs, and threats to anti-trafficking services since the beginning of the Administration have…

Read More

Chris Ash |

Guest Blog: How Conflating Sex Work and Sex Trafficking Harms Sex Workers

One thing to keep in mind is that while sex work and human trafficking in commercial sex are two different things, individual people may have experienced both at different points in their lives. I’ve been in abusive relationships and I’ve…

Read More

Chris Ash |

Guest Blog: How Conflating Sex Work and Sex Trafficking Harms Trafficking Survivors

In every other form of human trafficking, it is clear that while some labor practices are harmful, not all of them rise to the level of human trafficking. In those cases, we work to create laws that foster safer working…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

The State of Human Trafficking Services One Month into the Second Trump Administration

The first month of the new Administration has brought immense challenges to providing human trafficking survivors with lifesaving support and preventing exploitation. Survivors depend on a wide array of federally funded services both during and after exploitation. Access to food,…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

FNUSA Condemns Pause on Federal Funding Leaving Survivors Without Lifesaving Services

Freedom Network USA (FNUSA) is the nation’s largest coalition of trafficking survivors, social service providers, and attorneys working directly with trafficking survivors. FNUSA’s 53 service provider members served over 6000 survivors last year alone. We unequivocally condemn the Trump Administration’s…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

Barriers to Mental Health Services for Trafficking Survivors

Access to mental health services in the US is already challenging for most people, but these challenges are especially daunting for survivors of human trafficking. These obstacles to care are compounded by complex trauma experienced, systemic issues in healthcare access,…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

Prevention as Preemption: Primary Prevention as a Framework to Constructively Fight Trafficking

Preventative actions are of vital importance to our anti-trafficking efforts because they not only confront immediate risks, but also establish long-term solutions that eliminate vulnerabilities while also strengthening resilience for the future. Current US trafficking policy focuses primarily on secondary…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

FNUSA Recommendations Highlighted in the 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report

On June 24, 2024, the US Department of State (DOS) released its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report which evaluates the efforts of 188 countries to meet a set of minimum standards to address human trafficking. The standards analyze each…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

Membership Application Pause

Freedom Network USA typically opens our membership applications from July – September each year. The application process includes a written application form, interviews with each applicant, a thorough review of value alignment, a feedback period from our existing membership, and…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

New T Visa Regulation Includes FNUSA Recommendations that Protect Survivors

New T Visa Regulation Includes FNUSA Recommendations that Protect Survivors On April 30, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security released the long-awaited Final T Visa Rule. For many years, FNUSA has advocated for the regulation to include more protections for…

Read More

Freedom Network USA |

Supporting Online Safety Policies that Protect Everyone

As the reach of the internet has grown significantly in the last 30 years, the safety of children using online platforms has become an increasing priority. There are real concerns about the risk of bullying, harassment, hate speech, disinformation, and…

Read More